


t' 




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































RIMER 




























THE 






\ 


C 


is 


tr 




Q/' f kV/V>, * ' / i i - 

“ And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, 
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith 
which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 3:15. 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

INTERNATIONAL TRACT SOCIETY, 


43 Bond St., New York, N. Y. 
i 8 W. 5th St., Kansas City, Mo. 

12th and Castro Sts., Oakland, Cal. 
Battle Creek, Mich. 

268 Crawford St., Toronto, Ont. 

Grindelberg 15 a, 


59 Paternoster Row, London, England. 

14 & 16 Best St., N. Fitzroy, Melbourne, 
Australia. 

28 A Roeland St., Cape Town, S. Africa. 
Weiherweg 48, Basle, Switzerland, 
.mburg, Germany. 


1895 


"PE 1127 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, ,*B 5 Grfe 

^ ^ x x I ^ 7 b 

PAGE 

Frontispiece 

The Earth at Creation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 

The Tower of Babel .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42 

The Selling of Joseph .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 46 

Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh’s Dream .. .. .. 48 

Joseph’s Dream .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 52 

Jacob Going Down to Egypt .. .. .. .. .. 56 

Bringing Water from the Rock .. .. .. .. .. 62 

Israelites Gathering Manna .. .. .. .. .. 64 

Elijah’s Offering .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 68 

The Handwriting on the Wall .. .. .. .. .. 70 

Daniel in the Den of Lions .. .. .. .. .. .. 74 

Daniel Praying, and the Rulers Watching Below .. 76 

The Three Hebrews Before the King .. .. .. .. 78 

In the Fiery Furnace .. .. .. .. .. .. 82 

The Wise Men Presenting Gifts to Jesus .. .. .. 84 

Flight into Egypt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 86 

Jesus Among the Doctors .. .. .. .. .. ..90 

Turning Water into Wine .. .. .. .. .. .. 92 

Jesus Raising Jarius’ Daughter .. .. .. .. .. 96 

Jesus Healing the Sick .. .. .. .. .. .. 98 

The Sea of Galilee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 

The Sower .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 102 

Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand .. .. .. .. ..104 

The Fire by the Sea .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 108 

The Blind Beggar. . ..no 

Ruins of the Pool of Siloam .. .. .. .. .. 113 

Jesus Blessing Little Children .. . .. 114 

The Good Samaritan. .. .. .. .. n8 

The Disciples Plucking Corn. .. .. .. T20 

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria .. .. .. .. 124 

Jesus Riding into Jerusalem .. .. .. .. .. ..130 

The Crucifixion .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 133 

The Ascension .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 134 

Adam and Eve Driven Out of Eden .. .. .. 139 

The Saviour. .. ..148 

A Little Child Shall Lead Them .. .. .. .. 152 


BN \U7tP.UK7\OUP\\. SOCWW K\_\_ RtSiRNiO. 





^ Contents . 


\ 

* 

PAGE 

ABC and Slate Exercise 

.. 7 

Word Method .. .. .. .. . 

16 

The Creation 

•• 39 

The Confusion of Tongues 

41 

The Favorite Son .. 

.. 44 

Faithfulness Rewarded 

49 

Joseph’s Dream Fulfilled 

•• 53 

Brotherly Love Restored 

57 

Water from the Rock 

.. 61 

Bread from Heaven 

65 

Elijah and the Priests of Baal 

.. 67 

The Handwriting on the Wall .. 

71 

Daniel in the Eion’s Den 

•• 73 

The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace 

79 

The Birth of Jesus 

.. 85 

Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple 

89 

Turning Water into Wine 

- 93 

The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter 

97 

Parable of the Sower 

.. IOI 

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand .. 

105 

The Fire by the Sea 

.. 107 

Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar 

hi 

Jesus Blessing Tittle Children 

.. 115 

The Good Samaritan .. 

1 17 

The Sabbath Made for Man .. 

.. 121 

Jesus at Jacob’s Well 

123 

The Need of Prayer 

.. 127 

Jesus Riding into Jerusalem 

131 

The Ascension 

•• i 35 

What is Sin? 

1—1 

00 

God’s Taw 

.. 140 

Why Was Sin Permitted? .. 

144 

Christ the Remedy 

.. 149 

A Tittle Child Shall Tead Them 

i 53 


[ 5 1 



^earning to Head. 



HERE are two quite distinct ways of teaching beginners 
^ to read. In the alphabetic method, the letters are first 
learned, and then built into words. With this method 
nearly every one is familiar. 

In the word method, certain words are first learned, and 
then built into simple sentences. This method has the ad¬ 
vantage of giving the learner something at the outset that can 
suggest thought and awaken interest. 

In this primer, facilities are furnished for both methods. 
The alphabet is presented in very attractive form, and then 
follows the word method, beginning on page sixteen. 

In teaching by the word method, the teacher does not try 
to teach the letters at first. He begins with words. For ex¬ 
ample, take the first lesson on page sixteen. First teach the 
word ‘‘God” till it can be recognized anywhere; then the 
word “good,” and the word “is.” Then the first sentence 
can be read,— “God is good.” Then by adding “am” and 
“I” the next sentence can be read. Add “love,” and we 
may read, “God is love.” In this way the whole lesson may 
soon be read. 

The second lesson contains no new words except those put 
in bold type below it, and so with every lesson. We need be 

i 

in no hurry about the alphabet; for nearly all children will 
learn it incidentally before reading very far in this way. 

It is a good practice to have the learner print the most 
prominent words on a slate or on paper. The words in bold 
type afford a good spelling lesson, for either oral or written 
spelling exercises. 


[6] 








is for Adam, who was the first 
man. 


(SRATE EXERCISE.) 

the man for 
first Adam is 


“ So God created man in his own image, in the 
image of God created he him.” Genesis 1:27. 



is for Bethlehem, where Jesus 
was horn. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

was for is born 
where Jesus 


“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, 

in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came 

wise men from the east to Jerusalem.“ Matthew 2:1. 

[ 7 ] 

























































8 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 



is for Cain, who killed his 
brother. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

killed brother 
who his for 


“And it came to pass, when they were in the field, 
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew 
him.” Genesis 4 : 8. 



is for Daniel, who was cast 
into the lion’s den. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

cast was lion 
into den 


“Then the king commanded, and they brought 
Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.” Daniel 
6:16. 



is for Elijah, who was taken 
to heaven. 

( SEATE EXERCISE.) 

heaven taken was 
to for is 


“Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and 
horses of fire;.and Elijah went up by a whirl¬ 

wind into heaven.” 2 Kings 2:11. 





































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


9 



(slate exercise.) 

flood world that 
drowned for the 

“And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters 
upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the 
breath of life.” Genesis 6: 17. 

is for the giant Goliath, who 
was slain by David. 

(slate exercise.) 

slain giant for 
David was 

“And David said to Sanl, Let no man’s heart fail 
because of him; thy servant will go and fight with 
this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17 : 32. 

is for Hannah, who gave her 
son Samuel to the Lord. 

(slate exercise.) 

Lord son gave 
Samuel who 

Slie “ brought the child to Eli. Therefore also 
I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he 
shall be lent to the Lord.” i Samuel i : 25-2S. 























































IO 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


is for Isaac, the son of Abra¬ 
ham. 

( SLATE EXERCISE.) 

Isaac son of 
for is the 

“ Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom 
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah ; and 
offer him there for a burnt offering.” Genesis 22:2. 

is for Jacob, to whom the 
angels appeared in a 
dream. 

(seate EXERCISE). ) 
o 

whom J acob 

“And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up on 
the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven ; and, 
behold, the angels of God ascending and descending 
on it.” Genesis 28 : 12. 

is for Korah, who was swal¬ 
lowed up by the earth. 

(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

earth up by the 
who was is 

“ And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed 
them up.” Numbers 16: 32. 



dream ang-els the 








































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


II 



is for Lazarus, whom Christ 
raised from the dead. 
(slate exercise.) 

Christ raised the 
from dead 


“ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a 
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” John n : 43. 



is for Methuselah, the old¬ 
est man. 


(slate exercise.) 

man oldest 
the is for 


“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hun¬ 
dred sixty and nine years; and he died.” Genesis 5:27. 



is for Nazareth, the home of 
Jesus. 


(slate exercise.) 

Jesus of home 
for the is 


“ And he came and dwelt in a city called Naza¬ 
reth.” Matthew 2:23. 













































12 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


' 

0 

si3Gfi 



is for Olivet, tlie mount on 
which Jesus prayed. 

(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

mount for which 
prayed on 


“And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to 
the Mount of Olives.” Luke 22 : 39. 



is for Pharaoh, who was 
drowned in the Red Sea. 


( SEATE EXERCISE.) 

drowned sea in 
who was is 


“And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, 
and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh.” Ex¬ 
odus 14 : 28. 



is for Queen of Sheba, who 
visited Solomon. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

Oueen who for 


visited Solomon 


“ And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame 
of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came 
to prove him with hard questions.” 1 Kings to : 1. 










































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 





is for Rome, where Paul 
was put in prison. 

(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

Paul put prison 
where Rome 


“And when we came to Rome, the centnrion deliv¬ 
ered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but 
Paul was suffered to dwell by himself, with a soldier 
that kept him.” Acts 28:16. 



is for Sodom, the city de¬ 
stroyed by fire. 


( SEATE EXERCISE.) 

city destroyed by 
for the fire 


“ Then the Lord rained upon Sodom, and upon 
Gomorrah, brimstone and fire.” Genesis 19 : 24. 



is for Troas, where Paul 
preached all night. 

(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

night all where 
preached Paul 


“ When he ... . had broken bread, and eaten, and 
talked a long while, even till break of day, so he 
departed.” Acts 20:11. 


























































14 THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 



“ Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and 
took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And God 
smote him there for his error.” 2 Samuel 6:6, 7. 


which represents 

0 EXERCISE.) 

for vine 


“ I am the vine, ye are the branches.” John 15:5. 


is for watchman, on the 
walls of Zion. 

( St ATE EXERCISE.) 

Zion walls of 
for the on 

“ Watchman, what of the night ? The watchman 
said, The morning cometh, and also the night. ” 
Isaiah 21 :11, 12. 












































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


15 



is for Xerxes ( Ahasuerus ), * 
King of Persia. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

Persia is of 
king for 


“ Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, 
. ... he made a feast nnto all his princes .... of Me¬ 
dia and Persia.” Esther 1 : 1-3. 



is for. the yoke of Christ. 


( SEATE EXERCISE.) 

Christ of for 
yoke is the 


“ My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 
Matthew 11 : 30. 



is for Zion, the home of the 
blest. 


(SEATE EXERCISE.) 

Zion blest the 
home of for 


“ And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on the 
Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four 
thousand.” Revelation 14:1. 
















































GOD IS LOiZE. 

God. Good. — God is good. Am I good? 
God is love. He loves me. Do I love God ? 

Men. — Good men. Good men love God. 
God loves all men. Do all men love God ? 

God is good to all men. He is good to me. 

God good all am to I 

love men me is do he 


MOTHER LOIZE. 

Mother. — The mother. The good mother. 
The good mother loves God, and God loves her. 

Child.— The child. 

The good child. The 
child is good. The 
good child loves his 
mother. 

My mother is good 
to me. I am my mother’s child. Do I love my 
mother ? If I love her, I will be good to her. 

Mother her his my the 

child the him will if 

[16J 



















THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


1 7 


BROTHER LOME. 

Brother. — My brother. My good brother. 
My brother loves me. He is good to me. 

Sister. Dear. 

— My sister. My 
dear sister. She is 
good to me. My sis¬ 
ter loves her mother 
and her brother. 

My sister is my 
mother’s child, and 
so is my brother. Our mother loves all her 
children, and we love her. 

All good children love their mother. 

Brother children dear our their 
sister and so we man 



FMTHER LOME. 

Father. — Our dear father. Our father is a 
good man. He loves my mother, and she loves him. 

Our father loves his children, and they all 
love him. He is a good father to us, and we 
will all be good children. 

Heaven. Who. —God is our Father in 
heaven. All who love him are his children. He 







i8 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


loves them more than father or mother can love 
their children. 

God loves my father and my mother. He 
loves my brother and my sister. He loves me. If 
1 love God, I will love my brothers and sisters. 

Father who us are more 

heaven they in can than 


THe HHPPY Home, 

Happy. — My father and mother are God’s 
children. They love 
him, and he loves them. 

Home. —Our home 
is a happy home. Our 
father and mother love 
their children, and love 
each other. Their 
children love them, and 
love one another. 

Makes. — Love makes us happy. We love 
God and one another ; so he puts his love upon us. 

No home can be happy without love. In 
heaven all is love. If it were not so, heaven 
would not be a happy place. 

Happy each one them puts 

without place other another makes 

upon home would were 




















THE GOSPER PRIMER. 


*9 


TH6 H0M6 IN 6D6N. 

Adam. First. Woman. Eve. —Adam 
was the first man, and Eve was the first woman. 

Beautiful. Place. Made. Live. —God 

made Adam and Eve, and made a beautiful place 
for them to live in. 

Very. Loved. —They were very happy; 
for they loved God, and they loved each other. 
All who love God are happy. 

Garden. Eden. Trees. Flowers. — 

This beautiful place was the Garden of Eden. 
And Eden was like heaven. All was love, and 
all was beautiful, — the trees, the birds, the 
flowers. 

Talked. Walked. —And God was in the 
garden with them, and talked with them, and 
walked with them. 


Adam 

first 

live 

very 

like 

Eve 

place 

ioved 

garden 

trees 

woman 

made 

beautiful 

Eden 

flowers 

walked 

talked 

with 

birds 



EDEN LOST. 



Adam and Eve were happy in Eden as long 
as they loved God more than they loved to have 
their own way. 







20 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


They were glad to obey him. He knew bet- 
better than they did what was good for them, 

and what would make 
them happy. 

But by and by bad 
thoughts came into 
their minds. Their 
own way seemed bet¬ 
ter to them than God’s 
way. Then the love 
of God went out of 
them, and they did not obey him. 

But they were not happy any more. They 
were ashamed to see God, and when he came 
into the garden, they hid among the trees. 



Long 

own 

way 

have 


obey 

wouid 

came 

ashamed 

knew 

minds 

seemed 

when 

better 

bad 

then 

among 

what 

thoughts 

went 

hid 


SIN HND SORROW. 

All the way down, from the time when Adam 
and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and had 
to go out of it, men have been making them¬ 
selves unhappy in the same way. 

To disobey God is to sin. If no one had 







THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


21 


ever sinned, then no one would ever have died. 

If all who have ever lived had loved God 
and one another, they would all have been happy. 

If no one had ever sinned, there would be 
no sickness, no sorrow, no graves. 

What bad work sin has made! If we sin, it 
will make sorrow for us. 

Down . time sinned been making 
themselves ever sorrow died had 
lived sickness graves work disobey 

cz >ezi;>-— - 

OUR HOPE. 

We have all gone wrong sometimes. We 
have not always walked in the way that God 
has marked out. 

When we have gone in our own way, we 
have made ourselves unhappy. We have let the 
love of God go out and the love of self come in. 
In all this we have shut out the God who 
loves us. We have made our own sorrows. 

We have to bear the sins of others, too ; for 
we would have to be sick and die, even if we 
did not sin. 

But God will forgive our sins. He will give 
us good thoughts. He will help us to love him, 
and to love one another. We must die, but we 




22 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


shall live again ; and in that life all will be 
happiness, and love, and peace. 

There we shall never sin, and never die. We 
shall never be sick, and never be sad. We 


shall be more and more happy forever 

and ever. 

Gone 

marked 

bear 

help 

peace 

wrong 

ourselves 

would 

must 

sad 

sometimes 

self 

even 

shall 

never 

always 

come 

give 

again 

forever 


EDEN REGAINED. 

God loves men too well to leave them in sor¬ 
row always. Sin leads to death, but men shall 
live again. 

God so loved men, even sinful men, that he 

gave his own Son to 
die for them, so that 
they could have a 
new life after death. 

Jesus, the Son of 
God, was put to 
death; but God 
brought him to life 
again, and took him to heaven. 

God’s children will take Jesus for their Sav¬ 
iour. They will love him and obey him ; and 










THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 23 

the time will come when u all that are in their 
graves shall come forth.” . 

Then God will take his children to heaven, 
and give them a home more beautiful than the 
Eden where Adam and Eve were so happy. 

There they will see God. Jesus will be 
there, and so will all the good people who have 
ever lived. 

There will be no sin there, and their joy will 
never end. 


Well 

death 

could 

Jesus 

took 

where 

joy 

leave 

sinful 

new 

Saviour 

see 

end 

there 

people 

leads 

son 

after 

brought 

forth 


THE REDEEMER’S LOJZE. 


In heaven Jesus, the Son of God, was above 
all the angels. He was more beautiful than any 
of them, and was next to his Father in honor 
and glory. 

But he was full of pity for the; unhappy 
children of men. He loved them, and was will¬ 
ing to give up the glory of heaven, and come 
to the earth. 

God sent his Son to the earth in the form 
of a child, a baby in his mother’s arms. He 



24 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


came to earth to show us how to obey God,— 
how to live so as to do good in this life, and 
be happy in the life to come. 

He came as a child, so as to show children 
how to live. He came like other children, and 
grew up as other children do, only better and 
wiser. 

He knew that bad men would not love him, 
and that they would at last put him to death. 
But his love for men is great, and he said to 
his Father, 4 t Lo, I come to do thy will.” 


Above 

glory 

willing 

pity 

baby 

only 

great 

angels 

earth 

sent 

arms 

wiser 

said 

honor 

next 

full 

form 

grew 

last 

thy 


THE LOitfLY ONE. 

When God sent his Son to the earth, he gave 
him into the care of two good people who lived 
in Nazareth. 

Joseph* and Mary worked hard for a living. 
Their home was humble, but it was a happy one. 

When Jesus came to them, they were in 
Bethlehem. They had gone there on a journey. 
There was no room for them in the inn, so they 
had to stay in a place made for cattle. 



THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


25 


They could be happy in any place ; for they 
loved God. They knew, too, that he loved them. 
They knew that God 
would give his Son 
Jesus to them, to be 
cared for till he 
should grow up. 

They knew that 
God had a care for 
them. He sent an¬ 
gels to watch over 
them on their jour¬ 
ney. Angels were with them in the humble 
place where they slept. 

God was not ashamed to give his Son to the 
care of poor people. He was not ashamed to 
have him born in a stable, and cradled in a 
manger. 

Nazareth hard journey stay over 

poor cradled living Joseph Bethlehem 
cattle watch slept stable manger 
Mary room inn 



GOD MHK6S KNOWN HIS SON. 


On the very night when Jesus was born in 
Bethlehem, good shepherds were watching their 












26 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


Hocks not far away. While they were watching 5 , 
they saw a company of angels. At first they 
were afraid of the glory, — a glory bright as 
the sun. 

But an angel came near, and talked to them. 
He told them to go to Bethlehem, where they 
would find the Son of God, — a babe in a 
manger. 

Then the angels all sang praises to God, and 
went away. It was good news that the angels 
brought. Jesus, the Son of God, had come to 
earth. He was then in Bethlehem. They could 
go there and see him. 

They were full of joy, and when they had 
seen the child Jesus, they went away praising 
God. They believed what the angels had said 
to them, and told every one they met that they 
had seen the Saviour of men. 


Night 

far 

company 

news 

every 

shepherds 

saw 

bright 

full 

met 

born 

sun 

praises 

believed 

flocks 

one 

went 

brought 

Saviour 




THE DUTIFUL SON. 


God took good care that all should know that 
the child Jesus was the Christ. He had his 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 27 

prophets tell it in the temple, and he made it 
known to the wise men of the East. 

Bad men tried to 
put the child to 
death. But God kept 
him out of their 
power. 

Jesus lived with 
Joseph and Mary in 
Nazareth. It was a 
beautiful place among the hills. There were 
birds and brooks, trees and flowers. And above 
all were the great rocks. 

But the people of Nazareth were many of 
them bad. They did not love God. They^ did 
not care to obey him. But Jesus did not join 
with them in their bad ways. 

He helped Joseph and Mary at home. He 
obeyed them in all things, though he knew what 
a great work he would have to do by and by. 
In everything, he showed how a good child 
should live. 

It was not hard for Jesus to do this ; for 
he loved every one, and love makes all things 


easy. 

Christ 

prophets 

temple 

East 

tried 

kept 

power 

easy 

things 

hills 

rocks 

great 

many 

helped 

obeyed 














28 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


THE HEHXZENLY DOiZE. 

Jesus stayed with Joseph and Mary in Naza¬ 
reth till he was thirty years old. The time had 

then come for him to 
go out and talk to the 
people. 

H is cousin John, 
who was a little older 
than Jesus, had been 
for some time telling 
the people to turn 
away from their sins. 
He taught them to love one another and to love 
God. . 

He told them that Jesus, the Christ, was 
coming. Those that believed and obeyed were 
baptized by John in the river Jordan. 

One day Jesus came to be baptized. John 
knew that Jesus had never sinned, and that he 
did not need to be baptized. But Jesus would 
set a good example for others, and so John bap¬ 
tized him. 

When Jesus came up out of the water, the 
Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, 
and rested upon him. The dove is an emblem 
of love. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, 
and God is love. Jesus, like his Father, is also 

































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


29 


love. He so loved men that he was willing to 
give his life for them. He loves them just the 
same now. 

But this was not all. God spoke from 
heaven, and said, “This is my beloved Son.” 


Thirty cousin telling 

years little taught 

old just baptized 

till some river 


Jordan 

need 

example 

dove 


. Holy 
Spirit 
emblem 
beloved 


DOING GOOD. 

After Jesus was baptized, he went about do¬ 
ing good. While he was at Cana, near Naza¬ 
reth, a nobleman came to see him. He had 
heard how Jesus had 
healed many sick peo- 
ple, and had done 
many wonderful things. 

This nobleman had 
a dear son at home, 
who was sick and nigh 
unto death. 

The more they did 
for him, the worse he grew, until, as a last hope, 
the father went in great haste for Jesus. 

































30 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


When the nobleman told what he had come 
for, Jesus said to him, u Except ye see signs 
and wonders, ye will not believe.” 

The man, in his distress, cried out, u Sir, 
come down, ere my child die.” And Jesus said 
to him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” 

Without a word, the nobleman started for 
home. His son was far away, but the father 
believed that Jesus had made him well. 

And as the nobleman believed, so it was. 
The fever left the son at the very time when 
Jesus said, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” 

Erom that time, the nobleman and all that 
were in his house believed that Jesus was the 
Christ, the Son of God. 


Nobleman 

nigh 

last 

signs 

fever 

wonders 

near 

worse 

hope 

heard 

about 

grew 

haste 

without 

healed 

wonderful 

doing 

until 

except 

distress 


TEACHING HUMILITY. 

Jesus walked from place to place, all the 
time healing the sick and teaching the people. 
As they heard of the things he did and the 
words he spoke, they came from every way, to 
see and hear so wonderful a man. 



THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 31 

Sometimes the people were so many that he 
had to have them stand on the shore of the 
lake, while he went out a little way and taught 
them from a boat. 

It is likely that the boat was in a place 
where the water makes up into land, and the 
land comes around on each side so far that the 
people at the ends would be about as near to 
Jesus as those in the middle of the company. 
In this way they could all hear him and see 
him, but could not crowd upon him. 

At one time he went up into a little moun¬ 
tain in sight of a beautiful lake. The people 
came in great numbers, and Jesus stood above 
them, and talked to them a long time. 

He told them many things that they had 
never been taught before. They had always 
thought that the rich and the proud were the 
happy ones. 

Jesus taught that humble people, who love 
God and men, and who do not care for praise, 
are the ones who are blessed and happy. He 
said, u Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs 
is the kingdom of heaven. 7 ’ 

The poor in spirit are humble. They do not 
think too highly of themselves. They do not 
think that they are better than other people. 
They are sorry for their sins, — sorry that they 



32 the gospel primer. 

do not love God more. They know that they 
are poor and needy,—that they are lost with¬ 
out a Saviour. They will come to Christ, and 
he will lead them into his kingdom. 

Teaching lake stood humble think 

spoke little before blessed themselves 

stand boat rich kingdom highly 

shore numbers proud poor lead 


WHO KRE HHPPY. 

u Blessed are they that mourn ; for they 
shall be comforted.” 

If we mourn for our sins, we may be for¬ 
given. If we mourn for friends, God can give 
us others. If we mourn for losses, God may 
give us something better. If we mourn for the 
evil that is in the earth, we may still be com¬ 
forted ; for this will all come to an end. 

God’s Holy Spirit is the great Comforter, 
and God is always willing to give it. There is 
no sorrow that the Spirit cannot soothe. 

u Blessed are the meek; for they shall in¬ 
herit the earth.” 

Yes ; they will live on the earth after the 
proud are all destroyed. If all men were meek, 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


33 


there would be no strife, and no war. No one 
would be trying to get the highest place. 

Moses was the meekest man on earth. He 
was not willing to be the leader of God’s peo¬ 
ple. 

If all who believed on Jesus had been meek, 
they would not have been talking about who 
should be greatest in his kingdom. 

Jesus knew how much all men need the les¬ 
sons that he was teaching. 

Mourn losses inherit war needed 

evil trying lessons still comforted 

meek highest forgiven soothe destroyed 

friends Moses teaching strife Comforter 


MERCY, PURITY, HND PEHCE. 

u Blessed are the merciful : for they shall 
obtain mercy.” 

It is easy to forgive those we love. God 
loves all men. ' So should we. Then we can 
forgive all, and delight to show them mercy. 

If we forgive not others, how can we hope 
to be forgiven ? We must love as God loves. 
Then we have the spirit of forgiveness. 

“ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they 
shall see God.” 


3 


34 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


It is love that makes the heart pure. u Love 
thinketh no evil.” All bad deeds come from 
bad thoughts. From pure thoughts come deeds 
of mercy and love. 

The pure in heart will see God in heaven. 
They will also see him in his works on earth, 
— in the sky and the sea, the trees and the 
grass, the birds and the flowers, — in rocks, 
streams, mountains, and valleys. And every¬ 
where they will see that u God is love.” 

u Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall 
be called the children of God.” 

God is called a God of peace. Christ is 
called the Prince of peace. To be a peace¬ 
maker, then, is to be like God and Christ. To 
be like them is to be a child of God. And I 
may be a child of God, — may be one of God’s 
family on earth, as well as in heaven ! 

u The wisdom that is from above is first 
pure, then peaceable.” Christ’s gospel is called 
the gospel of peace. Love and peace are among 
the fruits of the Spirit. If the Spirit of God 
is in us, we shall be peacemakers. 

Hope called merciful grass prince 

sea obtain forgiveness streams valleys 

sky heart peaceable wisdom delight 

fruits mercy peacemakers deeds family 





THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


35 


LOiZE TO ENEMIES. 

Jesus taught that we should not love our 
friends only, but our enemies also. That we 
should pray for them, no matter how badly they 
may use us. 

Some thought this a hard thing to do. But 
Jesus said, 44 If ye love them which love you, 
what thank have ye ? for sinners also love those 
that love them. 

4 4 And if ye do good to them which do good 
to you, what thank have ye ? for sinners also 
do even the same.” 

I 

44 But love ye your enemies, and do good, 
and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and your 
reward shall be great, and ye shall be the chil¬ 
dren of the Highest : for he is kind unto the 
unthankful and to the evil. 

44 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father 
also is merciful.” 

It is not easy to love our enemies, till God 
puts his love into our hearts. Then we cannot 
help loving them, and it makes us happy to 
do so. 

And Jesus also said, 44 Judge not, and ye 
shall not be judged : condemn not, and ye shall 
not be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be for¬ 
given. 


3^ 


THE GOSPEE PRIMER. 


“ Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good 
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and 
running over, shall men give into your bosom. 

“For with the same measure that ye mete 
withal it shall be measured to you again.” 

Enemies lend measure running matter 

therefore help nothing pressed bosom 

unthankful judge which reward shaken 

condemn again withal together thank 


THE NEW COMMANDMENT. 

u A new commandment I give unto you, 
That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, 
that ye also love one' another. By this shall 
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye 
have love one to another.” John 13 : 34, 35. 

u Beloved, let us love one another : for love 
is of God ; and every one that loveth is born 
of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, 
knoweth not God ; for God is love. 

“ In this was manifested the love of God 
toward us, because that God sent his only be¬ 
gotten Son into the world, that we might live 
through him.” “Beloved, if God so loved us, 
we ought also to love one another.” 

“We know that we have passed from death 



THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 37 

unto life, because we love the brethren. He 
that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” 

Hereby perceive we the love of God, be¬ 
cause he laid down his life for us : and we 
ought .to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

u But whoso hath this world’s good, and 
seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his 
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth 
the love of God in him ? 

u My little children, let us not love in word, 
neither in tongue ; but in deed and in truth.” 

u There is no fear in love ; but perfect love 
casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not 
made perfect in love.” “ And this command¬ 
ment have we of him, That he who loveth God 
love his brother also.” 1 John 4:18, 21. 

We have this commandment also,— u That 
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus 
Christ, and love one another.” 

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit; and if we 
have not love, we have not the Spirit of God, 
and are not his children. Faith is the fruit of 
the Spirit, and works by love. 


Commandment 

disciples 

begotten 

abideth 

manifested 

dwelleth 

shutteth 

bowels 

compassion 

brethren 

perceive 

neither 

because 

beloved 

tongue 

perfect 

casteth 

toward 

name 

serve 




[3 s J 


The Earth at Creation 






Creation. 


Text.— “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ” 
Genesis i : i. 

Our God is a great God. His ways are past find¬ 
ing out. He made all things ; and Christ our Saviour 
was with his Father in all his wonderful work. 

So we read of Christ in God’s holy book, that 
“ all things were made by him ; and without him was 
not anything made that was made.” 

God and Christ are one. They have the same 
mind. They do the same work. They work together 
now. They worked together in making the worlds. 

God made this earth where we now live. It seems 
strange to think there was a time, thousands of years 

ago, when this earth was nowhere to be found; but so 
it was. 

When men make things, they have to have tools 
to work with. They have to make things little by 
little, working at them a long time before they are 
done. 

It was not so with God when he made this earth. 
u He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it 
stood fast.” 

At first, the earth was covered with water, and 
darkness rested upon it everywhere. Nothing could 
live on it as it was then. So God went to work to 
make it a beautiful and happy home for man. 

[ 39 ] 




40 


THE GOSPEE PRIMER. 


On the FIRST day the Lord made light. “ And 
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called 
Night.” 

On the SECOND day he made the air we breathe, 
and in which the birds fly. 

On the THIRD day he made the land, seas, and 
rivers, and the grass, flowers, and trees. 

On the FOURTH day he made the snn, moon, 
and stars, to give light to the earth by day and night. 

On the FIFTH day he made the fish that swim in 
the water, and the birds that fly in the air. 

On the SIXTH day he made man and all the ani¬ 
mals that live on the land. And he gave them for 
food the grain of the fields, the fruit of the trees, and 
the vegetables of the garden. 

On the SEVENTH day God rested “ from all the • 
work which he had made.” “ And God saw every¬ 
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” 

God created the earth, and everything that lives 
and grows on it, in six days. He rested the Seventh 
day, and looked over the work he had finished. Then 
he blessed it and made it his holy Sabbath. 

When the Sabbath comes, he wants us to stop our 
work and play, and look at the beautiful things that 
are around us, and remember that he made them 
for ns. 

And when we are in danger of forgetting the 
Sabbath, let us read Exodus 20:8-11, which tells us 
when and why he made it. 


The Confusion of Tongues. 


Text.— “ Let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto 
heaven ; and let us make us a name.” Genesis 11:4. 

f^OR more than two thousand years there was but 
one language on the earth. No matter where one 
might go, he found the people telling their thoughts 
in the same words. 

Once the people had gone so far from God and 
his ways, that a great flood of water rolled over the 
earth and drowned them nearly all. 

Noah was a good man ; and God saved him and 
his family in the ark. God told Noah what was going 
to happen, and showed him how to build the ark. 

For years, Noah warned the people that if they 
did not leave their bad ways and turn to God, they 
would be swept away and drowned by a flood. But 
they would not believe his words, and went on from 
bad to worse. 

After the flood, there were only eight persons left 
alive,— four men and four women. But in course of 
time these eight had become a multitude. 

Little by little they had forgotten the good teach¬ 
ings of Noah. They took their own way, and so 
grew proud and wicked. 

They wanted to make themselves a great name ; 
and so they planned to build a mighty tower, that, 
as they said, should reach unto heaven. 


[41] 





The Tower op Babee. 




















THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 43 

They chose a beautiful plain by the side of a 
river, in the land of Shinar, and there they went to 
making bricks for a city and a tower. 

They builded and builded; and year by year the 
tower grew higher, and the city grew larger. In this 
way the work went on for a long time. 

At last, God thought the time had come to check 
their pride. So he sent his angels to confuse their 
speech. All at once they found that they could not 
understand one another. When the men who had 
charge of the work gave orders, no one could make 
out what they wanted. 

Of course the work could not go on in this way, 
and it had to be given up. From that time to this, 
there have been different languages in the world, and 
the people of one country cannot understand the 
speech of those who belong to other countries. 

These people knew that they were not living as 
God would have them live. They knew that they 
were selfish, and proud, and wicked, and were afraid 
that God might destroy them as he destroyed the 
people before the flood. 

How foolish it was of them to think that they 
could save themselves by building a tower so high 
that the waters of a'flood could not cover it! 

By trying to do this, they showed that they did 
not believe God; for he had promised never to destroy 
the earth by a flood again. So it is that foolishness 
and unbelief go together. 


The Favorite Son. 


Text. — “ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because 
he was the son of his old age ; and he made him a coat of many colors.” 
Genesis 37 :3. 

Noah was a man chosen of God to teach the truth 
to the world. He lived after the flood three hundred 
and fifty years. He was alive when the tower and 
city of Babel were building, and many, many years 
after. 

Now God always has some one on the earth to 
bear witness to the truth,— to teach people how to live 
happily here, and gain a home in heaven hereafter. 
So after Noah died, the Lord raised up another man to 
bear the light of love and truth to the world. 

Two years after the death of Noah, Abraham was 
born. As he grew to be a man, the Lord gave him 
much wisdom. He also was faithful in all things. 
The Lord could trust him to do just as he told him 
to do. 

To Abraham, the Lord showed things that were to 
come to pass many years afterward. He made him 
precious promises. He said he would bless him, and 
bless his children, his children’s children, and so on, 
till at last Christ, the Saviour of the world, should 
come in the line of his family. 

Abraham had a dear son, called Isaac, who was 
faithful, like his father. He was so good a man that 
[44] 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


45 


the Bible says nothing against him. Now Isaac had 
two sons ; but they conld not agree, and one of them, 
Jacob, had to go far from home and stay there many 
years. When he came back, he had twelve sons. 

These sons had different mothers, and did not 
always agree so well as brothers should. As they 
came to be men, they were often unkind to their father, 
and took their own way instead of obeying him. The 
more they did wrong, the more hard-hearted they 
grew to be. 

But the two younger sons, Joseph and Benjamin, 
had a kinder nature. They loved their father, and 
felt sorry when their older brothers were rude to him. 

Joseph had a remarkable mind, and while he was 
quite a lad, the Lord gave him dreams that seemed to 
show that he was to be a great man. 

The Lord had chosen him for a great work, not 
because he was partial to Joseph, but because he knew 
that he would be faithful and true. 

Jacob loved Joseph because he was a son of his 
old age and of his beloved wife Rachel. He also 
loved him because he was so kind and obedient. 

But the more that Jacob loved Joseph, the more 
his brothers hated him ; for they were very jealous. 
But when he told his dreams, their hatred became so 
great that some of them wanted to kill him. And they 
said to him, “ Shalt thou indeed reign over us ? ” 

Even his father could hardly have faith in his 
second dream, where he saw the sun, moon, and stars 













THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


47 


bow down to him. He said to Joseph, “ Shall I and 
thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow 
down ourselves to thee to the earth ? ” 

They looked upon Joseph as but a boy, and could 
not see why the Lord had chosen him, instead of his 
older brothers, who were some of them powerful men. 
But the Lord sees not as man sees. He can look into 
the heart and understand all its workings. 

Jacob and his sons had many cattle, and they had 
to be watched, and taken from one part of the country 
to another to find grass ; for the fields were not fenced 
off into pastures. 

At one time Jacob had not heard from his sons 
for a number of days, and so he sent Joseph to look 
them up, and bring him word how they were. When 
they saw him coming, they said to one another, u Be¬ 
hold, this dreamer cometh ; ” and they laid plans to 
kill him. 

At first they cast him into a pit, but afterward 
they took him out, and sold him to some merchant¬ 
men who were going to Egypt. 

Then they dipped his coat in the blood of a kid, 
and took it to his father, saying, “ This have we 
found : know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. 

“ And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; 
an evil beast hath devoured him ; Joseph is without 
doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, 
and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for 
his son many days .’ 1 





[48] Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh’s Dream. 























































































































































































Faithfulness Rewarded. 


Text. — “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and 
gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Genesis 39 : 21. 

Now the men who bought Joseph of his brethren, 
sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, the captain of the 
king’s guard. “ And his master saw that the Lord 
was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did 
to prosper in his hand.” 

So Potiphar made Joseph overseer of his house, 
and put all he had into Joseph’s hands to be cared 
for. And the Lord blessed Potiphar’s house for Jo¬ 
seph’s sake. “ And the blessing of the Lord was 
upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.” 

But Potiphar’s wife told a wicked lie about Joseph, 
and so got him put in prison. Yet the Lord blessed 
Joseph, even there. The keeper of the prison, seeing 
how just and wise he was, let him go freely about the 
prison, helping to take care of the other prisoners. 

Now there were two of the king’s officers in the 
prison, and they were troubled about some dreams 
they had had. And Joseph said, Tell them to me ; 
perhaps the Lord will show me their meaning. 

When they had told their dreams, Joseph said 
that the king was going to hang one of the men, and 
set the other one free. And it happened just as Joseph 
had said. 


4 


[ 49 ] 




50 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


Two years after this, the king had a strange 
dream, and none of the wise men of his kingdom could 
tell its meaning. Now the king’s chief butler, the 
man who had been in prison with Joseph, and had been 
set free, told the king about Joseph. 

When Joseph had been sent for, and brought be¬ 
fore the king, he told the king that it was the Lord 
who had given him his dream, and that it was the 
Lord who would show its meaning. 

He said there were to be seven years of plenty, 
and then seven years of famine. In the first seven 
years the land would bring forth grain abundantly, 
and a part of it must be laid by for the seven years of 
famine; for in those years nothing would grow. 

So the king set Joseph as first ruler over all the 
land of Egypt, and had him store up the corn for 
seven years. 

u And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, 
and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in 
vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his 
neck ; and he made him to ride in the second chariot 
which he had ; and they cried before him, Bow the 
knee: and he made him ruler over all the laud of 
Egypt.” 

When the famine came on, it was in other coun¬ 
tries, as well as in Egypt, and Joseph’s ten brothers 
came to Egypt to buy corn. Now every one who 
bought corn had to come to Joseph. When his broth¬ 
ers came, he knew them, but they knew not him. 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


5 1 


So lie acted as though they were enemies, and put 
them in prison as spies. How they must have felt! 
Their wives and children were at home with very little 
food, and no one to get them any more. 

These cruel brothers began to think that God was 
going to punish them for their sin in selling Joseph. 
They said, “ We are verily guilty concerning our 
brother; . . . therefore is this distress come upon us.” 

But Joseph was sorry for them, and felt afraid 
that those they had left behind might suffer. So after 
he had kept them in ward three days, he set them all 
free but one, gave them as much corn as they could 
carry, and started them on their way home. 

One of them he kept till they should bring down 
Benjamin, to prove that they had told him the truth; 
for he had questioned them very closely about their 
family. 

So they went with their corn, and when it was 
nearly eaten up, Jacob wanted them to go to Egypt 
for more ; but they said it would be of no use to go 
without Benjamin; for the man had told them plainly 
that they could not see his face again unless they 
brought their younger brother with them. 

Then Jacob was in great distress. Joseph was 
not, Simeon was a prisoner in Egypt, and now he was 

afraid of losing Benjamin, his youngest. But at last 

/ 

he gave his consent, and they went on their way, tak¬ 
ing with them money for their corn, and a present 
for Joseph. 



Joseph’s Dream. 






















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Joseph’s Dream Fulfilled. 


Text.— And Judali and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he 
was yet there ; and they fell before him on the ground.” Genesis 44 :14. 

Hnd when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said 
to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and 
slay, and make ready ; for these men shall dine with 
me at noon.” 

But the brothers were afraid to be brought into 
Joseph's house. They had been aceused of being 
spies when they came there before, and thought it 
likely that something would be brought against 
them now. 

Now the money they paid for corn when they 
came there the first time, had been put back into 
their corn sacks with the corn, and they were afraid 
they might be charged with stealing it. 

So they told the steward of Joseph’s house that 
they had brought that money back, besides money 
enough to buy more corn. And the man said, “ Peace 
be to you, fear not; your God, and the God of your 
father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had 
your money. And he brought Simeon out unto 
them.” 

“ And when Joseph came home, they brought 
him the present which was in their hand into the 
house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 
And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your 

[ 53 ] 




54 the gospel primer. 

father well, the old mail of whom ye spake ? Is he 
yet alive ? ” 

“ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother 
Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your 
younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me ? and he 
said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.” 

Then he went away from them, and shut himself 
up in his own chamber and wept. But afterward he 
washed his face, and came out to them, and treated 
them kindly. A great dinner was prepared for them, 
and Joseph himself went in, and waited on them. 

“ And he commanded the steward of his house, 
saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as 
they can carry, and put every man’s money in his 
sack’s mouth. 

“ And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s 
mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he 
did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 

“ As soon as the morning was light, the men 
were sent away, they and their asses. And when 
they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, 
Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the 
men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto 
them : — 

“ Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby 
indeed he divineth ? Ye have done evil in so doing. 
And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these 
same words.” 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


55 

They told him that they knew nothing about the 
cup. They would not steal, especially from one who 
had been so kind to them. If they were not honest 
men, they would not have brought back the money 
they found in their sacks when they got home from 
their first journey. 

Finally, they told him to search, and see if they 
had stolen anything. They said that if he found that 
any of them had stolen the cup, the one who had done 
the deed should die, and all the rest of them would be 
Joseph’s bond servants. 

Then every man’s sack was searched, and in 
Benjamin’s sack they found the cup, just where it had 
been put; but Benjamin did not know it was there. 
“ Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man 
his ass, and returned to the city. 

“ And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s 
house ; for he was yet there ; and they fell before him 
on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What 
deed is this that ye have done ? wot ye not that such 
a man as I can certainly divine ? 

“ And Judah said, What shall we say unto my 
lord ? What shall we speak ? or how shall we clear 
ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy 
servants. Behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, 
and he also with whom the cup is found.” 

Joseph would not consent to this. He would keep 
only the one in whose sack the cup had been found. 
The others must hurry home with their corn. 






















































Brotherly Love Restored. 


“ Text.— “ Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them ; 
and after that his brethren talked with him.” Genesis 45 :15. 


1HEN Judah stepped up close to Joseph, and said^ 
u O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a 
word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn 
against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. 

“ My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a 
father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We 
have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a 
little one ; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left 
of his mother, and his father loveth him. 

“ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him 
down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his 
father; for if he should leave his father, his father 
would die. 

“ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your 
youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see 
my face no more. And it came to pass when we came 
up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words 
of my lord. 

“ And our father said, Go again, and buy us a 
little food. And we said, We cannot go down ; if our 
youngest brother be with us, then will we go down ; 
for we may not see the man’s face, except our young¬ 
est brother be with us. 


[57] 




58 


THE GOSPER PRIMER* 


“ And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye 
know that my wife bare me two sons ; and the one 
went out from me, and I said, surely he is torn in 
pieces; and I saw him not since; and if ye take this 
also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring 
down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 

“ Now therefore when I come to thy servant my 
father, and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life 
is bound up in the lad’s life; it shall come to pass, 
when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will 
die ; and thy servant shall bring down the gray hairs 
of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 

u For thy servant became surety for the lad unto 
my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I 
shall bear the blame to my father forever. 

“Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide 
instead of the lad a bondman to my Lord ; and let 
the lad go up with his brethren. 

“ For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad 
be not with me ? lest peradventure I see the evil that 
shall come on my father. 

“ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before 
all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every 
man to go out from me. And there stood no man 
with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his 
brethren. 

“ And he wept aloud ; and the Egyptians and the 
house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his 
brethren, I am Joseph ; doth my father yet live ? And 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


59 


liis brethren could not answer him ; for they were 
troubled at his presence.” 

But Joseph had forgiven them for all the wrong 
they had done him. His heart yearned toward them 
with a brother’s love ; and he said, u Come near to me, 
I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am 
Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 

u Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with 
yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send 
me before yon to preserve life.” 

He told them that God had made him a father to 
Pharaoh and lord over his house. He had also made 
him ruler over Egypt, and given him power to save up 
the corn, so that the family that God had chosen 
should be kept alive. He said : — 

“ Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto 
him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me 
lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not. 

“ And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, 
and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy chil¬ 
dren, and thy children’s children ; and thy flocks, and 
thy herds, and all that thou hast ; and there will I 
nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine.” 

After this, “ he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s 
neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 
Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon 
them ; and after that his brethren talked with him.” 

When Pharaoh, the king, heard that these men 
were Joseph’s brothers, he was very kind to them, and 


6o 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


sent wagons to bring their father, their wives, and 
their children to Egypt. 

At first, Jacob could not believe the good news 
that Joseph was living ; but when they told him all 
that Joseph had said, and he saw the wagons that 
Joseph had sent, he said, “ It is enough ; Joseph my 
son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.” 

The Lord appeared to Jacob in a vision, and told 
him not to be afraid to go to Egypt to live ; for he 
would make of him a great nation there, and in time 
would bring them back to Canaan, as he had prom¬ 
ised Abraham. 

So they went into Egypt, seventy persons. About 
two hundred years afterward, when they went up out 
of that land, they were more than six hundred thou¬ 
sand men, besides women and children. 

But in these two hundred years many hard trials 
came upon the children of Israel. While Joseph 
lived, all went well with them. After that, there was 
a new king, who did not care for what Joseph had 
done, and was not friendly to the Israelites. 

He made slaves of them, and they had to work 
very hard. He kept on making their work harder 
and harder till it was more than they could do, no 
matter how hard they tried. Then he ordered that all 
the male children should be drowned in the river. 

But the same God that cared for Joseph remem¬ 
bered them, and in due time raised up Moses, a great 
leader, and set them free. 


Water from the Rock. 


Text. — “And thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water 
out of it, that the people may drink.” Exodus 17:6. 

IT was a weary journey,— that journey from Egypt 
to Canaan, with that vast multitude of people, their 
children, their cattle, and such earthly goods as they 
could carry. 

There were many dangers to meet on the way ; 
but God had promised to go before them, and prepare 
a way for them. 

At Rephidim there was no water. Without wait¬ 
ing to see what the Lord would do, the angry people 
cried out to Moses, “ Give us water, that we may drink.” 

They seemed to think it was Moses who was pro¬ 
viding for them. This was wrong. Moses could not 
do any miracles unless the Lord should direct him. 
So Moses said, u Why chide ye with me? wherefore 
do ye tempt the Lord?” 

At last they grew very bitter, and said to Moses, 
u Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought us up out 
of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle 
with thirst ? ” 

These people had been slaves in Egypt for many 

years, and had suffered things that were hard to bear. 

The Lord had sent Moses to get them away from the 

cruel treatment of a wicked king. And now they 

[61] 














































































































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 63 

accused him of bringing them out into that desert 
place to kill them and their children. 

Moses loved these people with a great love,— 
almost as God himself loved them,— and he was in 
great distress when he heard them talk as they did. 
He felt more sorry for them than for himself; for he 
knew that they were committing a great sin. 

He had nowhere else to go; so he cried to the 
Lord, saying, “What shall I do unto this people? 
they be almost ready to stone me. 

“ And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the 
people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and 
thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in 
thine hand, and go. 

“ Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the 
rock in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock, and 
there shall come water out of it, that the people may 
drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders 
of Israel.” 

What a sight it must have been to see so great a 
multitude crowding to the stream to quench their 
thirst at this water from the rock! 

This rock is an emblem of Christ. The water is 
the “water of life,” that he will give to all who thirst 
for it. It is the well-spring of love, faith, and hope. 

“ Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters.” “ If any man thirst, let him come unto me, 
and drink.” “ And whosoever will, let him take the 
water of life freely.” 


t 



Israelites Gathering Manna. 









































































































































Bread from Heaven. 


Text.— “ I will rain bread from heaven for you.’' Exodus 16 : 4. 


V\/hen the Israelites left Egypt, they left in great 
haste. It was on the night of the passover, when 
each family had killed a lamb, and eaten it with 
their garments on, staff in hand, and everything 
ready to start on their journey. 

At midnight came the cry that the first-born had 
died in every house of the Egyptians. Then the 
Egyptians hurried Moses and his people out of the 
land. They would not let the Israelites stay till 
morning; for, said they, “We be all dead men.” 

There was not time to raise and bake bread for 
the journey; so they took dough in their kneading 
dishes, wrapped it in some of their clothes, and carried 
it on their shoulders. This dough they must have 
baked in a very rude way, at night, as they journeyed. 
This bread could not have tasted very well; but 

it was better than none; and when it was all gone, 

/ 

they knew not what to do. At last, when they had 
been journeying about a month, they thought they 
should starve if they had to go without bread any 
longer. 

So they began to cry out all over the camp that 

Moses and Aaron had brought them out there into 
5 [65] 




66 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


that barren country to kill them with hunger. They 
thought more of having something good to eat, than 
they did of getting free from the cruel Egyptians, or 
of pleasing the Lord, who was leading them out. 

In their distress they said, “ Would to God we 
had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of 
Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we 
did eat bread to the full.” 

“ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have 
heard the mnrmurings of the children of Israel: speak 
unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in 
the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye 
shall know that I am the Lord your God. 

“ And it came to pass, that at even the quails came 
up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the 
dew lay round about the host. And when the dew 
that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the 
wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small 
as the hoar frost on the ground.” 

“ And Moses said unto them, This is the bread 
which the Lord hath given you to eat.” 

On the morning of the sixth day they were to 
gather twice as much as on other mornings ; and on 
the morning of the seventh day no manna was to be 
found. 

On other days, if any manna was left over, it 
spoiled, but on the seventh day it kept good. In this 
way the Lord marked the true seventh-day Sabbath, 
that he had sanctified at the creation. 


Elijah and the Priests of Baal. 


Text.— “ How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, 
follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” i Kings 18:21. 


7T T one time there was a wicked king in Israel by 
the name of Ahab. Most of the people followed the 
ways of king Ahab ; and -the worship of idols became 
more common than the worship of God. 

So Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, said to Ahab, 
“As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I 
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, 
but according to my word.” 

For three years and a half there was no rain in 
Israel. Ahab was very angry that the Lord hid Elijah 
for the greater part of this time. 

Finally, Elijah told Ahab to gather all the 
prophets of Baal together on Mount Carmel. 

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, 
How long halt ye between two opinions ? if the Lord 
be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. 
And the people answered him not a word. 

“Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I 
only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s 
prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 

“Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and 

let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it 

[67] 






































































THE GoSPEt PRIMER* 


69 

in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 
and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, 
and put no fire under: 

“ And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will 
call on the name of the Lord: and the God that 
answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the 
people answered and said, It is well spoken.” 

So the prophets of Baal chose their bullock, and 
did with him as Elijah had said. Then they called 

upon the name of Baal from morning till noon, say- 

% 

ing, “ O Baal, hear ns! ” But no voice answered. 

Then they leaped upon the altar, and cut them¬ 
selves with knives till the blood gushed out upon 
them. In this way they went on till nearly night, 
but no fire kindled on the altar. 

Then Elijah built an altar of twelve great stones, 
and laid the wood and the bullock upon it. When all 
was ready, he had the people pour twelve barrels of 
water on the altar; so that the wood was drenched, 
and the trench around the altar was filled with water. 

Then Elijah called on the name of the Lord, say¬ 
ing, u Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people 
may know that thou art the Lord God.” 

“ Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the 
burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the 
dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 

“ And when all the people saw it, they fell on 
their faces : and they said, The Lord, he is the God; 
the Lord, he is the God.” 



Handwriting on the Wall. 














































































































The Handwriting on the Wall. 

Text.— “ In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and 
wrote .... upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace.” Daniel 
5 • 5 - 

f^BLSHAZZAR. king of Babylon, made a feast, 
and invited all the great men of his kingdom to come 
to it. 

They ate and drank in great glee, and when the 
king’s head was turned with wine, he commanded to 
bring in the holy vessels which had been stolen from 
the temple at Jerusalem. 

Now these vessels had been made holy to the Lord, 
and were not to be used, except by the priests in the 
temple. 

Belshazzar knew this very well, but he had become 
proud, and meant to show contempt to the God of 
heaven. So he, and his lords, and his wives drank 
wine out of these vessels. 

But in the midst of their joy, there appeared the 
fingers of a man’s hand, writing something on the wall 
in front of the king. The king saw the part of the 
hand that wrote, and began to shake with fear. 

He called in all his wise men, but none of them 
could read the writing or tell its meaning. Just then 
the queen came in, and by her advice Belshazzar sent 
for Daniel, who had been brought from Jerusalem by 
the king’s grandfather. 


[71] 





72 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


Daniel promised to read the writing, but before 
beginning to read, he told how God had taught the 
king’s grandfather to be humble, and to know that the 
most high God can rule the kingdoms of this earth, 
and give them to whom he will. Then he said,— 

“ And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not hum¬ 
bled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast 
lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven ; and they 
have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and 
thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, 
have drunk wine in them ; 

“ And thou hast praised the gods of silver, and 
gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor 
hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath 

is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glori¬ 
fied : then was the part of the hand sent from him ; and 
this writing was written.” 

Then Daniel read the writing, and told what it 
meant. It was in three parts, and this is the mean¬ 
ing : — 

“ God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished 

it. ” 

“ Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found 
wanting.” 

“ Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes 
and Persians.” 

The king had little time to repent; for, “ In that 
night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 
And Darius the Median took the kingdom.” 



Daniel in the Lions’ Den. 


Text.— “ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast 
him into the den of lions.” Daniel 6 : 16. * 


jHERE lived in the city of Babylon, more than 
two thousand years ago, a man whose name was 
Daniel. This man was a Jew, and his real home 
was in Jerusalem, hundreds of miles away. 

The Jews had been very wicked, and to punish 
them, the Lord had let the armies of Babylon come • 
up and conquer them, and take them to Babylon, 
where they were kept as slaves. 

But Daniel loved God, and the Lord gave him 
wisdom, so that the king of Babylon made him the 
chief ruler in his kingdom. The other rulers were 
very angry at this, because they did not like to have 
a Jew rule over them. 

So they watched Daniel very closely, and set 
spies to see if they could find him doing anything 
wrong. If they could, they would tell the king, and 
have Daniel put down from the high place which the 
king had given him. But God took care of him, so 
that they could not find anything to tell. 

Then they tried to injure him on account of his 
religion. Daniel served the true God, who made the 
worlds. But the people of Babylon had idols and 
different kinds of beasts for their gods. 


[73] 








































The gospel primer. 


75 

So these wicked rulers went to the king, and got 
him to make a decree that for thirty days no one 
should pray to any God, nor ask a favor of any man 
but the king. Any one who disobeyed this com¬ 
mand was to be cast alive into a den of lions. 

But this made no difference to Daniel; for, three 
times every day, he went to his room, and prayed to 
his God, with his windows open, just as he had before 
the king made the wicked decree. 

In the picture on the opposite page you see him 
kneeling and praying to* his God, while the wicked 
rulers are standing below, watching him, and listening 
to his prayer. 

And when they ha^. heard him praying, as they 
expected he would, they told the king, and asked that 
Daniel be cast into the den of lions, according to the 
decree. 

The king loved Daniel, and was very sorry when 
he saw how these bad men had tried to destroy him. 
But the decree had been made, and must be carried 
out. So that night Daniel was cast into a den of 
fierce and hungry lions. But God took care of him, 
and sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions, so 
that they could not hurt him. 

And Daniel was just as safe among those lions as 
he would have been in his own house. On the op¬ 
posite page you will see Daniel sitting among the 
lions, who want to kill him ; but they cannot, for the 
angel of God will not let them. 




































































































































































































































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


77 

But the king could not sleep all that night, for 
fear that Daniel would be killed. The next morning 
early he went to the den, and was very glad to find 
him alive and not even hurt. The king had him 
taken out of the den at once, and told every one that 
Daniel’s God had kept him from the fury of the lions. 

Then the wicked rulers said it was not Daniel’s 
God who had kept him, but that the lions were not 
hungry. So the king said, u If that is the reason 
Daniel was not hurt by the lions, they will not hurt 
you, if you are cast into the den. We will try it, and 
. see if they are hungry.” So he had them all cast. 
into the den. 

But the gods of these men were only idols, and 
could not take care of them as the angel of the Lord 
had taken care of Daniel; so the lions caught them, 
as they were thrown into their den, and brake their 
bones, and killed them before they could get to the 
bottom. This proved clearly how Daniel had been 
kept from death, and who is the only true God. 

God always takes care of those who love him and 
obey him, and although he does not always send an 
angel to help them out of every trouble, he is near 
those who suffer for doing right. 

He knows about every trouble we have, and if 
we bear it patiently, for Jesus’ sake, we will have our 
reward by and by. Let us remember what Jesus said,— 
“ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteous¬ 
ness’ sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 
























































































































































The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace. 


Text.— “Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy 
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:18. 

When Daniel was taken as a prisoner to Babylon, 
there were taken with him three others, who were his 
special friends. These men .loved the Lord so well, 
and served him so truly, that it was safe to give them 
great wisdom. And the king of Babylon, seeing how 
wise they were, made them rulers in his kingdom, and 
gave them new names. 

The king and people of Babylon did not serve the 
true God, but made images, and worshiped them. 
Could such gods help one in trouble? Could they 
forgive sins, and make the heart pure ? But the king 
wanted to show his power; and so he made a great 
image of gold, almost a hundred feet high, and then 
set a day when all his rulers and captains must come 
and worship it. 

When the day came, the king had a band of music 
ready, near the image, and not far off was a great fiery 
furnace. Then his herald cried with a loud voice, and 
told all the people who had come together at the king’s 
command, that when they heard the band of music 
begin to play, they must all fall down and worship the 
image. And if they did not do so, they were to be 

thrown into the furnace of fire, and burned to death, 

[79] 





8 o 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


When all the people had come together, the king 
. commanded the band to play ; and when the people 
heard it, they fell down and worshiped the image. 
But God had said that men must not worship any 
image, nor any god but the God who made the earth, 
and whose home is in heaven. If you would like to 
read where he says this in the Bible, yon will find it 
in Exodus 20:4, 5. 

Now Daniel’s three friends could not disobey their 
God by worshiping this image, no matter who might 
order it. They would rather die than turn against the 
God of heaven. 

Now there were some among the king’s great men 
who hated all Jews, and Daniel’s three friends more 
than others because the king had such respect for their 
wisdom, and had given them a high place in his 
kingdom. 

So they came to the king, and told him that there 
were Jews who would not obey him,— who would not 
worship the image. Among these Jews were Daniel’s 
three friends, whom the king had set over the affairs of 
Babylon. Their accusers said, “ These men, O king, 
have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor 
worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” 

When the king heard this, he was angry, and sent 
for the men who would not obey him. When they 
had come before him, he said to them, 

“ Now if ye be ready at what time ye hear the 
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, . . . and all 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


81 


kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image 
which I have made, well ; but if ye worship not, ye 
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burn¬ 
ing fiery furnace ; and who is that God that shall 
deliver you out of my hands ? ” 

The king thought there could not be a god strong 
enough to save them from harm in such a place as that. 
But Daniel’s friends knew that the God of heaven could 
save them if that was the best thing to do. If he did 
not think it best, they were willing to die. 

They did not have to wait to think what to do. 
They said, “We are not careful to answer thee in this 
matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to 
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will 
deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 

“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that 
we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden 
- image which thou hast set up.” 

Then the king was full of fury, and told his men 
to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was wont 
to be heated. When this had been done, the most 
mighty men of the king’s army were called upon to 
cast these three peace-loving men into the furnace. 

They did their work, but it was the last they ever 
did; for the fire was so hot that it burned them to death. 

As the king was looking into the furnace, he was 
much troubled, and rose up in haste, and said, “ Did 
not we cast three men bound into the midst of the 
fire? ” And they said, “True, O king. 


6 






























































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


S3 

“ He answered and said, Lo, I see four men 
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have 
no hurt; and the form of the fourth is- like the Son of 
God.” 

Then the king went as near as he could to the 
mouth of the furnace, and said, “ Ye servants of the 
most high God, come forth, and come hither.” And 
they came forth from the midst of the fire. 

Then the princes, and all the king’s great men, 
saw these men, u upon whose bodies the fire had no 
power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither 
were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had 
passed on them.” 

Then the king had to own that there is no God 
lik e the God that Daniel and his friends worshiped. 
The people of Babylon thought that Daniel’s God was 
only one among others. The Lord meant to show 
them that there is but one God, and that he has all 
power to make or destroy. 

Now there were present at that time men from 
many countries, who would go home, and tell what 
they had seen ; and in that way many people would 
learn about the God who rules over all. 

But if Daniel’s three friends had not been true, if 
they had been afraid to displease the king, and had 
tried to save their lives by bowing down to the image 
of gold, then we would not have had this wonderful 
story to tell. 



[ s 4 ] The Wise Men Presenting Gifts to Jesus. 








































































































































































































































































The Birth of Jesus. 


Text.— “ Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be 
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord.’’ Luke 2 :10, 11. 

Years and years ago, there came to this earth, the 
most beautiful babe the sun ever shone upon. Mary, 
his mother, called him Jesus, as God had told her 
to do. 

About this time there were wise men living in the 
East, hundreds of miles from the place where Jesus 
was born. These men had studied the Word of God, 
and learned that it was time for the coming of Eman¬ 
uel, which means “ God with us.” 

These wise men were not Jews, but they believed 
in God, and loved him, and praised him as they saw 
his wonderful works,— the sun, the moon, the stars, 
and this beautiful earth. 

One night, as these men were watching the 
heavens, they saw a star that they had never seen 
before. Was this not the sign that they had been 
looking for? — the star that would lead them to the 
birthplace of Emanuel. 

With joy they went toward the star. But it kept 
always moving on as they followed. 

When they came to Jerusalem, they went to the 

king, and said, “ Where is he that is born king of the 

Jews; for we have seen his star in the east, and are 

[85] 





Flight into Egypt 






























































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


87 

come to worship him.” But the king could not tell. 
He had not been looking for the Saviour, and had 
not studied the Word of God to see where he was to 
be born. 

So he called all the chief priests and scribes, for 
these men were supposed to know all about the Scrip¬ 
tures,— and asked them where Christ should be born. 
And they said, “ In Bethlehem of Judea.” 

Then he talked with the wise men again, and 
asked them when they first saw the star. He told 
them to go to Bethlehem, and when they had found 
the child, to bring him word, that he might go and 
worship him too. 

As they came out from before the king, lo, shining 
brightly in the sky, was the star that had guided them 
all the way from the East to Jerusalem. How glad, 
and how encouraged, they were, when they saw it. 

And so, following the star, they came to a place 
where it stood still, over a stable; and they, wondering 
much, went in. And what did they see ? Why there, 
cuddled up so cozy and warm, in a manger, lay the 
babe, with his mother watching beside him. 

And were not their hearts filled with joy? Did 
they not praise God that his promise, made so long 
ago, was now fulfilled? Yes, indeed. They fell on 
their knees before the infant Jesus, and worshiped him. 

Then they opened their packs, and gave precious 
gifts of gold, and costly myrrh, and thanked the Lord 
again and again for the privilege of seeing Jesus. 


88 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


Tired with, their journey, they sought rest; and 
that night the Lord gave them a dream, telling them 
not to go back to Jerusalem, but to go home by an¬ 
other road. 

The Lord knew that the king at Jerusalem would 
try to kill Jesus if he could find him, thinking that he 
w r as to be an earthly king, and take king Herod’s 
place. But Jesus was to rule only in the heart, and 
that by love. 

So the wise men went back to their home in the 
East without seeing the king again. When Herod 
found out about this, he was angry, and sent his 
soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem under 
two years of age. 

In that way the king thought to kill the infant 
Jesus ; but a power greater than Herod’s was guarding 
this babe; and God told Joseph in a dream to flee to 
Egypt with the young child and his mother. 

And so all the little children of Bethlehem had to 
die a cruel death by the hand of the rough soldiers; 
but Jesus was safe with his mother, far on the 
journey to Egypt. 

But by and by Herod died. Then the Lord told 
Joseph and Mary to go back to the land of Israel. In 
a dream he showed them that they were to go to 
Nazareth ; and there, in that quiet little town among 
the hills, Jesus lived and worked till he became a man. 


Jesus and the Doctors in the Temple. 


Text.— “They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.” Luke 2 :46. 

Once a year all the people went tip to Jerusalem to 
what was called the feast of the passover. It was not 
in any sense what we would call a feast now. True, 
they ate the passover supper; but each family ate by 
itself, and in the most solemn manner. 

This feast was to keep in mind how the Lord had 
passed over the houses of the Israelites when the first 
born of every Egyptian family was found dead at mid¬ 
night. 

Each family killed a lamb, and ate it, with loins 
girded and staff in hand, just as it was done so many 
years before in Egypt; and the parents were to tell 
the children what it all meant. 

When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and 
Mary took him with them to the feast of the passover. 
Jesus knew very well that the passover lamb pointed 
to himself as the Saviour of the world. We can think 
what his feelings must have been, as he saw the inno¬ 
cent lamb killed and eaten. 

When the feast was over, his parents went along 
with those who were going home by the same road as 
themselves. They did not see Jesus ; but they 
thought he must be somewhere in the company, and 
were not anxious about him. 


[89] 





[ 9° ] 


Jesus among the Doctors. 



















































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


9 1 

They no doubt found many friends to visit with, 
and had a pleasant day. But when night came, and 
Jesus was nowhere to be found, they were much 
troubled. 

The next morning they started on their way back 
to Jerusalem. The way seemed lonely. They remem¬ 
bered how Herod had tried to take the life of Jesus 
when he was a little child. They knew that the 
priests were not friendly, and their hearts ached with 
fear as they went along. 

They began to think how careless they had been. 
And was their dear son really stolen from them ? Had 
the priests hired robbers to snatch him away, as they 
went carelessly along? How would they answer to 
God for being so unfaithful ? 

But they found no trace of him on the way, and it 
was not until the third day that they found him in 
Jerusalem. He was not in any out-of-the-way place, 
but in the temple, talking with the most learned men 
of the nation, hearing them, and asking them questions. 
“ And all that heard him were astonished at his under¬ 
standing and answers. 

“ And when they saw him, they were amazed; 
and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou 
thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father and I have 
sought thee sorrowing. 

“ And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought 
me ? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s* 
business ? ” 



ham 
































































































































































































































































































































Turning Water into Wine. 


Text. — “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And 
they filled them up to the brim.’’ John 2 : 7. 

Jesus lived in Nazareth till he was about thirty 
years old. At last the time had come for him to begin 
his great work of teaching the people. 

They had wrong notions; for many of the priests 
who had been teaching them were selfish men, and did 
not know the ways of God very well themselves. 

Before Jesus began to preach, he went to the river 
Jordan to be baptized. When he came up out of the 
water a dove came down, in sight of all the people, and 
rested on him. At the same time a voice from heaven 
said, u This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased.” 

The dove, an emblem of love, represented the 
Holy Spirit. It showed that God put his Spirit upon 
Jesus. It was always with him, and guided him in 
every thing he did. God is willing to give ns the 
same Spirit to lead us ; and while we are led by the 
Spirit of God, we shall not go wrong. 

It was John, who baptized Jesus ; and he baptized 
a great many others besides. He was a man of God, 
and had been preaching good things to the people. 
He had been telling them that Christ, the Messiah, 
would soon appear. 


[93] 




94 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. * 


One day, when John saw Jesus coming, he said, 
“ Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin 
of the world.” Twa of John’s disciples who heard him 
say this, went to Jesus and talked with him. Then 
they went to their friends, and told them that they 
had found the Christ. To others, Jesus said, “ Follow 
me,” and they did so. 

In this way a few good men were gathered about 
Jesus. They believed him to be the Saviour, and fol¬ 
lowed him everywhere he went. They tried to remem¬ 
ber all that he said; and the more they heard, and 
the longer they were with him, the more sure they 
were that he was the Christ indeed. 

Jesus liked to have these men with him ; for he 
wanted them to learn all they could, so that after his 
death they might be able to teach to others the same 
things that he had taught to them. 

Afterward, some of these men wrote the life of 
Jesus, as we have it in the Bible. The Spirit of God 
helped them, and brought to their minds the things 
that their dear Lord had said. 

Now there was to be a marriage at Cana, a little 
town not very far from Nazareth. Mary, the mother 
of Jesus, was asked to be there, and so were Jesus and 
his disciples. By his disciples we mean those few 
men who went with him all the time, to listen to his 
words of wisdom and love. 

At the marriage, they had a feast; for that was 
the way people did in those days. And at the 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


95 


feast they had wine. But their wine was not like the 
wine we have now. It was just the fresh, sweet juice 
of grapes, and would not make any one drunk. 

But before the feast was over, the wine was all 
gone; and they did not know where to get any more in 
time for the occasion. Now the man who made the 
feast was troubled, because he did not want the people 
who had come to it to know that he had not enough 
wine for them. 

Then the mother of Jesus came to him, and said, 
“ They have no wine.” Jesus did not say that he 
would do anything about it; but Mary said to the 
servants, “ Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” 

Now there were standing there six water-pots of 
stone. These pots would hold five or six pailfuls 
apiece. Jesus told the servants to fill them with 
water; and when they had filled them to the brim, 
Jesus said, “ Draw out now, and bear to the governor 
of the feast.” 

What must these servants have thought ? for 
when they began to draw, they found that the water 
was all turned to wine. And when they took it to the 
governor, he wondered that the bridegroom had kept 
the best wine for the last of the feast; for he did not 
know how the wine had been made. 

And when his disciples saw this miracle, they 
believed on him more fully than before. 



[ 96 ] 


Jesus Raising Jairus’ Daughter 































The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter. 


Text.—“M y little daughter lieth at the point of death; I pray thee, 
come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed.” Mark 5 :23. 

One day Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee, at Caper¬ 
naum. A great many people bad beard of bis coming, 
and bad come to meet bim. Among those wbo came 
was a ruler of tbe synagogue, or Jewish church. The 
name of this man was Jairus, and he came to beg Jesus 
to come and see bis little daughter, who was very sick. 
The best doctors had done all they could, and now 
said they could do no more, and the little girl must die. 
Jairus was a rich man, and he had spared no money in 
trying to save the life of his daughter. But we know 
that we cannot buy life or health with money. God 
alone can give life. 

Jesus was always ready to help all who came to 
him for help, and he went at once with the sorrowful 
father. And although it was only a short distance to 
the home of this ruler, it took a long time to get there, 
for the people crowded around Jesus, and wanted him 
to speak to them, and make them well. Among them 
was a woman who had been sick twelve years, and had 
spent all her money trying to be made well. She had 
heard of this wonderful Jesus, and she thought, If I 
can touch but the hem of his robe, I shall be made well. 
So she struggled through the crowd that surrounded 

Jesus, and, stooping down, touched his garment, and, 
7 [97] . 





[ 9 8 ] Jesus Healing the Sick. 































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


99 


oh, how wonderful, she felt the healing power of the 
Saviour coursing through her veins, and she knew that 
she had been made well. 

With gratitude in her heart she tried to get out of 
the throng, but Jesus stopped, and said, “ Who touched 
me ? ” All were surprised to hear him ask that ques¬ 
tion, for he was being pressed on all sides by the eager 
people who surrounded him. But Jesus said, “ Some¬ 
body hath touched me; for I perceive that virtue is 
gone out of me.” Jesus could tell whether it was the 
touch of faith, or of the careless crowd. You can see 
the people in the picture, crowding around Jesus to be 
healed. 

The woman, seeing that she was found out, came 
and told Jesus the story of her suffering and belief, 
and Jesus said, a Daughter, be of good comfort; thy 
faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” This was 
to show to the people that it was her faith that had 
made her whole, and not the mere act of touching his 
garment. 

. Jairus had watched closely the working of this 
miracle, and now felt more sure than ever that Jesus 
would heal his child. But just then a servant came 
and said, “ Thy daughter is dead.” Jesus heard the 
words which seemed to take away all hope from the 
sorrowing father, and said to him, “ Fear not; believe 
only, and she shall be made whole.” Jairus took fresh 
hope from this, and they hurried on to his house, and 
to the room where the dead child was lying. Jesus had 


IOO 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


the room cleared of all that were in it, except the par¬ 
ents of the child, and his disciples, “ and took her by 
the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.” And she 
arose at once, and was as well and strong as ever. 
When Jesus came to that house, it was full of weeping 
and sorrow, but he brought life and joy, and gave the 
little girl to her father and mother again. 



The: Sea ok Galilee. 















Parable of the Sower. 


Text. — “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 
Behold, a sower went forth to sow.” Matthew 13 : 3. 

• _ 

Jesus often spoke to the people in parables. In a 
parable, one thing is taken to explain the meaning of 
another. Something that we know all about, is used 
to make plain something that is hard to understand. 

Jesus did most of his preaching in the country, 
and in the open air. The country people knew all 
about raising grain, for that was the way they got 
their living. So Jesus at one time took the sowing of 
grain to explain how different people receive the truth 
that God gives them. 

He said that as a sower went out to sow grain, 
some of it fell by the roadside, and the birds picked it 
up ; some of it fell on stony ground, where it grew 
fast at first, but soon dried up ; some fell among 
thorns, and was choked by them, so that it could not 
produce a good crop. 

But some of it fell on good ground, where it grew 
well, and gave a large yield of grain. Afterward, 
Jesus explained the meaning of the parable. 

The seed is the word of God. Some people listen 
to the good words that are given them, but let Satan 
steal away their good thoughts before they have car¬ 
ried them out in their life. These are the wayside 
hearers,— the careless ones. 

l IOI J 










































































"THE GOSPEL PRIMER. IO3 

Some receive the good word with joy, and for a 
while do well. But by and by, when trials come, they 
take their own way instead of God’s way, and so go 
back to evil-doing. These are the stony-ground 
hearers. 

Those that receive the seed among the thorns, are 
those that try to serve the Lord and themselves at the 
same time. They have so many selfish plans to carry 
out that the truth from above has no chance to work 
in them. The love of self — of having their own way 
— crowds out the love of God, and then all goes 
wrong. 

They that receive the seed on good ground are 
those who take the good word from the Lord into hon¬ 
est hearts, and go right on to do the things that it 
teaches them to do. Their first thought is always 
to know what is right, and their greatest joy is to 
please the Lord who has given his life for them. 

Let us try to be among those who take the seed 
into good ground, and bear the fruit of loving thoughts 
and good deeds. We cannot make the seed grow, 
but God will give his Holy Spirit to quicken it. 

Christ will water the seed with the pure water of 
life, and it shall be in us a well of water, springing up 
unto everlasting life. If we yield ourselves wholly to 
Christ, he will do the good work in our hearts. He 
will fill our souls with love, and love will make it easy 
to obey him. 



























































































































































Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. 


Text. — “ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company 
come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these 
may eat?” John 6:5. 

Knd 

Jesus went across tlie sea of Galilee into a 
desert place near Bethsaida. There a great multi¬ 
tude came to him, to hear the wonderful things he 
always had to say. 

Jesus knew how needy these people were ; and as 
he saw them bringing their sick friends to be cured, 
his great heart of pity went out to them. All day 
he patiently taught them, healing their sick, and giv¬ 
ing them comforting words. 

As evening drew on, he looked over that great 
company, and thought how hungry and tired they 
must be,— those men and women, and even little chil¬ 
dren, who had come so far to hear him. If they went 
off without eating, they might faint by the way. 

Jesus did not teach them as they had been taught 
by the proud priests and Levites. His kind voice was 
sweet to them, and they were so hungry for his words 
of life that they forgot their need of other food. 

But Jesus remembered them. He did not forget 
their wants, but asked Philip where bread could be 
had to feed so many. He did this to try the faith 
of his disciples; for Jesus himself knew what he 
would do. 


[ io 5 1 




106 THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 

The disciples said, “ Send them away, that they 
may go into the villages, and bny themselves bread.” 

. But Jesus said, “ Give ye them to eat.” Now all the 
food they had was five loaves and two fishes that a 
little boy had brought. 

Jesns told the disciples to have the people sit 
down in small companies on the grass. Then he took 
the food, and looking np to heaven, gave thanks to 
God for it. In this he set an example for all to follow. 

Then he broke the loaves and the fishes, and 
handed the food to his disciples, and the disciples 
gave to the people. Jesus kept right on breaking 
and breaking, and handing out food till all that great 
multitude had had enough. 

Now there were more than five thousand people 
fed in this way, and all from what a little lad had car¬ 
ried in a basket on his arm. This would make a hun¬ 
dred companies, with fifty persons in each company. 

Then Jesus said, “ Gather np the fragments, that 
nothing be lost.” Although the food had come to them 
so abundantly, and without any effort on their part, they 
were to save every crumb. We should be generous, 
but never wasteful. What God has in mercy given us, 
we should never throw away. 

The Lord fed these people when they were faint 
with hunger. He will remember us in all our needs. 
He clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows ; will he 
not care for us ? 


/ 


The Fire by the Sea. 

Text. — “ But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the 
shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.” John 21 :4. 

Jt was long and long ago that seven sad fishermen 

1 

toiled all night on the Sea of Galilee, and caught 
nothing. 

They had given up all to follow Jesus, and now he 
had been taken and crucified. They believed that he 
had been raised from the dead,— they had even seen 
him,— but they knew not whether they should see him 
again, and they were very sorrowful. 

He had called them to be fishers of men; but as 
soon as he was taken from them, they went back to 
their old work of taking fish from the lake. 

But they had no success. So it often is, when 
men give up the work which God has called them to do.- 

When the morning broke, they found themselves 
not far from shore. As they were looking toward the 
land, they saw a man standing near the edge of the 
lake. It was Jesus, but they did not know him. 

Jesus saw them looking at him, and called out, 
“Children, have ye any meat? ” When they answered 
“ No,” he said, “ Cast the net on the right side of the 
ship, and ye shall find. 

u They cast therefore, and now they were not able 
to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that 
disciple whom Jesus loved, saith unto Peter, It is the 
Lord. 

[ io 7 ] 







[ io8 ] The Wonderful Draught of Fishes. 

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


109 

“ Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the 
Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him (for he was 
naked), and did cast himself into the sea.” The other 
disciples followed in their little boat, “ dragging the net 
with fishes.” 

“ As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire 
of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.” This 
showed how easily Jesus could provide for their wants. 
They thought they were alone and forsaken, but all 
the time the Saviour was near. He had not lost sight 
of them. 

Jesus did not find fault with them, but said, “ Bring 
of the fish which ye have now caught. 

“ Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land 
full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three; 
and for all there were so many, yet was not the net 
broken. 

u Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And 
none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou ? 
knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and 
taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 

u This is now the third time that Jesus showed 
himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from 
the dead.” 

It was after this morning meal, by the fire of coals 
on the beach, that Jesus made Peter answer, three times 
over, the question, “ Lovest thou me ? ” And three 
times Peter received the charge, “ Feed my sheep.” 



UjHJMIL'bnj 






The Blind Beggar 


m 

■ 

ill 

1 

is 

i 

liSlfti 


7/ 

I 

I 

HH 



Imw 

W'w&t^hSWlm 



ifll 

ffitfiWmiWnR 


r Is* pill 




































































































































































































Jesus Heals the Blind Beggar. 


Text.—“T herefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? 
He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed 
mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash; and I 
went and washed, and I received sight.” John 9 : 10, 11. 

One Sabbath day, after Jesus bad been teaching 
in the Temple, he saw a blind beggar sitting by the 
side of the street. Jesus was sorry for him, because 
he could not see the beautiful trees, and the flowers, 
and the green grass. He had always been blind, and 
so had never seen his parents and friends. 

When Jesus came close to the man, he spat upon 
the ground, and took some of the dust he had made 
moist, and put it on the blind eyes, and told the man 
to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. Jesus could 
have opened his eyes without sending him to wash in 
the pool; but he wanted him to show that he believed 
he would see if he did just as Jesus told him. To be¬ 
lieve in Jesus, and trust that he will do just as he has 
promised, is called faith. 

At the bottom of the picture you can see the blind 
man standing in the pool, washing his eyes. As soon 
as he had done this his eyes were opened, and he could 
see as well as you and I can. 

When he went home, all by himself, without any 
one to lead him, his parents and neighbors were very 
much surprised. In the morning, when he left home, 

[hi] 




112 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


he was blind, and now he could see. Some did not 
believe it was the blind beggar at all, but thought it 
was some one who looked like him; U but he said, I 
am he.” 

Then they all wanted to know how he had received 
his sight; and he told them all about it, as you will 
see by reading the text at the beginning of this story. 
And when they found out that it was Jesus who had 
done this wonderful thing, they said to him who had 
been blind, “ Where is he ? He said, I know not.” 
You see he was so glad because he could see, that he 
almost forgot Jesus. Do you ever forget Jesus? He 
made this beautiful world we live in. And, although 
we cannot see him, he sees us all the time, and takes 
care of us. He is ready now to help us, if we will be¬ 
lieve in him, and do just as he tells us, as the blind 
man did. 

Jesus did not use any medicine in healing the 
blind man. Doctors try to cure people now by giving 
them medicine. Sometimes they get well and some¬ 
times they do not. Jesus healed the sick, and the 
blind, and the lame, by the power of God. The power 
of God made man in the first place, and it can heal 
him when he is sick. All Jesus had to do was to say 
to the sick, “ Be well,” and the power of God healed 
them at once. To heal in this way is called a miracle. 

His neighbors were so surprised at this miracle 
that they took him who had been blind to the Phari¬ 
sees and Elders of Israel. These men claimed to b$ 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


^3 

good men who understood the Bible and could teach 
others how to be good. But they were proud, and 
were really so wicked at heart that they afterward 
killed Jesus. 

These men tried to make the man who was healed 
believe that Jesus was wicked because he had healed 
him on the Sabbath. But he believed in him all the 
more, and said, u If this man were not of God, he could 
do nothing.” Then these Pharisees and Elders were 
so angry that “ they cast him out ” of their church 
and would not let him come there any more. 

When Jesus knew that he had been cast out, he 
went to him and told him that he was the Son of God, 
the Saviour of the world. “ And he said, Lord, I be¬ 
lieve. And he worshiped him.” 



RUINS OF THF POOL, OF SIFOAM. 


s 













[ 1 x 4 ] Jesus Blessing Cittle Children. 







































Jesus Blessing Little Children. 


Text.— “And they brought young children to him, that he should 
touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.” Mark 
io : 13. 

JESUS had a kind face, and all the children liked 
him. The little ones would stretch out their hands to 
him and smile at him; for they could see that he had 
a loving heart. 

Jesus loves every one, and whenever he saw any 
one sick or in trouble, his heart was moved with pity. 
His heart is as loving and kind now as it was then, 
and he will as gladly help and bless us, if we will 
come to him. 

If we will let him, he will put into our hearts the 
same loving spirit. Then we, like him, will love 
every one. We will visit the sick and the sorrowful, 
and try to comfort them. This is the work that 
Jesus has for us to do. 

At one time, after Jesus had been teaching the 
people, some fond mothers brought their little children 
to him, that he might lay his hands on them and bless 
them. It was thus that Jacob blessed the two sons of 
Joseph ; and it was still a common thing to lay hands 
on the heads of those who were prayed for. 

When the disciples saw the mothers bringing 

their children to Jesus, they told them that they ought 

[115] 




Il6 THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 

not to trouble the Master in this way. u But Jesus 
called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children 
to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is 
the kingdom of God.” 

Jesus loves little children. They are innocent 
and full of trust. We must become like them, if we 
would please God. Jesus had been a child, and known 
a mother’s love. 

He knew how dear these little ones were to their 
mothers, and would not turn them away. He loves 
the mothers who live now, as much as he did the 
mothers who lived then. He is as ready to bless their 
children. Let the mothers bring them to him. 

Do we not wish that we might have been there to 
see the tender look of the Master as he bent over the 
sweet young faces ?— that we might have heard the 
tones of his voice, and listened to the words he spoke 
to those little ones ? 

But we have many of his words, and can read 
them over and over again,— read them till we can 
almost hear how they sounded when they came from 
his lips. We can talk to him in prayer, and he will 
give us answers of peace. He will fill our souls with 
love. 

Jesus said, “ Except ye be converted, and become 
as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom 
of heaven.” Let us come to Jesus, then, in the sim¬ 
ple, undoubting faith of childhood,— come with all the 
sweet trust that a little child feels toward his mother. 




The Good Samaritan. 


Text.—“T hou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy 
neighbor as thyself. ’ ’ Luke 10:27. 

There was once a man who came to Jesns who 
was a student of God’s Word. And he began to ask 
him questions, to see if he would say anything that 
was not as God said. And he said, “ Master, what 
shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus in answer 
asked, “What is written in the law?” If you will 
read the text at the beginning of this story, you will 
find in it the answer that the man gave to Jesus. Jesus 
told him that his answer was right, and said, “ This do 
and thou shalt live.” 

But he wanted Jesns to believe that he was a good 
man, and so asked, “Who is my neighbor?” The 
man expected that Jesus would answer that the Jews, 
and them alone, were his neighbors. The word neigh¬ 
bor really means, one who is near. It means any one 
who either lives, or sits, or walks near you. Jesus gave 
an answer to the man that he did not expect. He an¬ 
swered by telling the following story : 

There was once a Jew who went from the city of 
Jerusalem to the city of Jericho. As he was going 
along the way down the mountain, he fell among 
thieves. Thieves are those who take things which be¬ 
long to others. The thieves of our story took the 

I r 1 71 





[ II? ] The Good Samaritan. 

















































"THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


ix 9 

clothes and all the money from the poor Jew, and beat 
him so that he was almost dead, and then they left him 
alone to die. 

After awhile a Jewish priest came along the road, 
and, seeing the man, passed by on the other side, for 
fear he would have to do something for him. And a lit¬ 
tle while after a Levite, who claimed to be a very good 
man, passed along, and he stopped and looked at the 
man, but he would not help him. 

But by and by a Samaritan came riding along. 
Now, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and would not 
speak to them, or have anything to do with them. But 
this Samaritan did not pass by this suffering man be¬ 
cause he was a Jew, but he went to him, and bound 
up his cuts and bruises, and poured some soothing oil 
on them. Then he lifted him up and put him on his 
own beast he had been riding, and carried him along 
with him till he came to an inn. He took care of him 
all that night, and in the morning left some money 
with the keeper of the inn, and told him to take good 
care of the man till he got well, and if it cost any 

N 

more, he would pay it when he came back that way. 

Now, which do you think was the neighbor to the 
poor Jew? Was it the priest, or the Levite, or the 
Samaritan ? I think the Samaritan was the true neigh¬ 
bor. And we learn from this story that we should do 
good to even our enemies, when they are sick or in 
trouble. For Jesus said, “ If thine enemy hunger, feed 
him. If he thirst, give him drink.” 



The Disciples Plucking Corn 
































































































































































































































































































































































































































The Sabbath Made for Man. 


Text.— “Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath 
days?” Luke 6 : 2 . 

K T the time when Jesus was upon the earth, the 
Jews were very strict about keeping the Sabbath. The 
love of God was not in their hearts, and they tried to 
make up for what they lacked inwardly, by putting on 
outward forms. 

They could be haughty and cruel; they could be 
selfish and proud ; they could be unkind to the poor, 
and unjust to the widow and the fatherless ; they could 
cherish hatred, and sometimes even murder. And as 
an offset they did a thousand useless things that the 
Lord never asked them to do. 

They hated Jesus because he was pure in heart, 
and his goodness made them seem wicked—just as 
they were. They tried to show that Jesus was a sinful 

man because he healed the sick on the Sabbath day. 

✓ 

At one time, Jesus healed a man at the pool of 
Bethesda, and told him to take up his bed, and walk. 
When the Pharisees saw what he was doing, they 
claimed that he was breaking the Sabbath. Now this 
poor man had been a cripple for almost forty years. 

On another Sabbath, while passing through a 
field of grain, the disciples shelled out some of the 
grain in their hands, and ate it. The proud Pharisees, 

[ 121 ] 




122 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


who were always on the watch, said to Jesus, u Why 
do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? ” 
Now the disciples had been a long time without 
food, and it was cruel to keep them from eating a little 
of the grain. Jesus told the fault-finding Jews that 
the Sabbath was made for man. It was intended for a 
blessing, not for a burden. * 

Christ was one with the Father in creating the 
world and in setting apart the seventh day as the Sab¬ 
bath. Should he not know how it ought to be kept? 
God is merciful and kind, and he wants all his chil- . 
dren to be so too. This is the lesson Jesus taught. 

One Sabbath, as Jesus was passing along, he saw 
a man who was born blind. He spat on the ground, 
made clay of the spittle, rubbed the clay on the man’s 
eyes, and told him to go and wash in the pool of 
Siloam. When the man had washed, he could see as 
well as any one. 

Now instead of being glad that this poor man 
could see, the Pharisees were angry when they found 
that Jesus had healed him. They told him that Jesus 
could not be a man of God, because he did not keep 
the Sabbath. But some said, “ How can a man that is 
a sinner do such miracles ? ” 

Jesus taught that it is right to do good and to heal 
the sick on the Sabbath. Their great need makes it 
right to help them. It is an act of mercy to do for 
them. The need of the lame man and the blind man 
was great, and so was that of the hungry disciples. 


Jesus at Jacob’s Well. 


Text. — “ There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water : Jesus saith 
unto her, Give me to drink.” John 4 : 7. 

Jesus was on liis way to Galilee, and his path led 
through the country of Samaria. It was about noon 
when he and his disciples reached the lovely valley of 
Shechem. 

In this valley was the city of Sychar, and outside 
the gates of the city was a well, called the well of 
Jacob. Jesus being weary and footsore, sat down by 
the well to rest. 

Now the Jews and the Samaritans were not 
friendly to each other. They would not even eat 
together, or take a cup of water from each other. 

As Jesus sat there by the well, a woman of 
Samaria came to draw water. All the time she was 
filling her jar she did not seem to notice Jesus. This 
was because she could see that he was a Jew. 

But as she turned to go, Jesus asked her to give 
him a drink. But she asked him why he spoke to 
her, since the Jews would have no dealings with the 
Samaritans. 

Jesus said, “ If thou knewest the gift of God, and 
who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou 
wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given 
thee living water.” 


[123] 





[ I2 4 ] 


Jksus and thf Woman of Samaria 





































































































































































































THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 125 

The woman thought he claimed a good deal for 
himself, and so she said, “ Art thou greater than our 
father Jacob ?” Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of 
this water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh 
of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” 

The woman could see that it was not the water of 
the well, that Jesus had offered to give her, and she 
began to wonder at him. But she did not wish him to 
know her thoughts, and so she said, “ Sir, give me 
this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to 
draw.” 

Jesus then told her to go and call her husband; 
but she said, “ I have no husband.” Jesus wanted to 
show her that he could read her thoughts, and that’ he 
knew all about her; so he told her many things about 
her past life. Then she said, “ Sir, I perceive that 
thou art a prophet.” 

Now she had done some very wrong things in her 
life, and did not want to talk about them; so she 
asked Jesus if all people ought to go to Jerusalem to 
worship. 

Jesus told her that the time had come when men 
could worship God anywhere, if they worshiped in 
spirit and in truth. They must have their hearts in 
their worship. It is the spirit in which we come to 
God, and not the place, that makes our worship pleas¬ 
ing to him. 

The woman then said, “ I know that the Messiah 
cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come, he 


126 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


will tell us all things.” The proper time had now 
come, and Jesus told her that he was the Christ. 

The woman knew that her only hope of being for¬ 
given, and of being saved at last, was in Christ, the 
coming Saviour ; and she did really hope -that this 
might be he. In her joy she left her water-pot, and 
ran into the town, saying, “ Come, see a man, which 
told me all things which ever I did: is not this the 
Christ ? ” 

In the meantime, the disciples, who had gone into 
the town to buy food, returned. And when they saw 
Jesus talking so freely with a Samaritan, they could 
not think what it meant. They urged him to take 
something to eat; but he said, “I have meat to eat 
that ye know not of.” 

His joy at giving the true gospel to those Samari¬ 
tans was so great that he forgot his hunger. It was 
more than food or drink to him to be doing the works 
of love and mercy that he had come to the earth to do. 

When the people of the city heard the woman’s 
story, many of them believed on Jesus as the Christ. 
They were anxious to talk with him, and wanted him 
to stay with them. So he stayed two days ; and many 
more believed on him after hearing his wise and com¬ 
forting words. 

And they said to the woman, “ Now we believe, 
not because of thy saying: for we have heard him our¬ 
selves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
Saviour of the world.” 


The Need of Prayer. 


Text.— “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4: 6. 

The Lord asks us to come to him in prayer. We 
may tell him all our trials, all our sorrows. It will 
bring us near to him, where he can help us. 

We must feel our need of him. We must tell him 
that our troubles are too hard for us ; that our only 
hope is in him. Then he will give us comfort and 
peace, the sweetest we can ever know. 

God knows all about us before we tell him. He 
is always ready to give us help. But he must help 
us in his own way; for that is the only right way. 
This he cannot do till we cast all our care upon him. 

We must trust to God to care for us. He wants 
to fill our hearts with love; but so long as selfishness 
rules in us, there is no room for him. Selfishness and 
the Spirit of God cannot dwell together. 

How much better to turn out self, and let in the 
love of God. Jesus says, “ If a man love me, he will 
keep my words ; and my father will love him, and we 
will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” 

We must ask for God’s blessing; ask for his 
strength; ask for his wisdom. Above all, we must 
ask for his Holy Spirit to guide us ; for it brings all 
other blessings with it. We may have it by asking 
for it. Jesus has said : — 

[ ! 27 ] 




128 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye 
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” 

Men seek after the riches of this world, which 
soon pass away. Let us seek after heavenly treasures 
that never fade. Men who seek after worldly riches 
do not always find them; but we have God’s word that 
if we seek after his riches, we shall find. 

But there is one thing we must not forget. We 
must believe that God will do just what he says he 
will. “ What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, 
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them.” 

God will surely answer our prayers. If he does 
not give us just what we think we need,— if we do not 
get exactly what we ask for,— it is because he has 
something better for us. He knows what we need 
better than we do, and will do for us the best that can 
be done. 

None of us know how to pray just as we ought 
to; but Jesus has promised To teach us, and to plead 
for us. He who has given his life for us will not neg¬ 
lect us at the throne of grace. The prayer of the 
humblest man will come before God in just as good 
form as that of the greatest scholar. 

The Bible says we must “ watch unto prayer,” be 
“ instant in prayer,” and “ continue in prayer.” God’s 
true children pray much. They ask his help and his 
care in everything. They carry the spirit of prayer 
with them all the time. 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


129 

We can lift up our hearts to God in prayer at any 
time and in every place. The Lord looks upon the 
heart, and not upon our words only. He reads our 
thoughts, and hears the silent prayer just as surely as 
though we spoke aloud. 

But it is better to pray in words when we can. 
God gave us the power of speech, and likes to hear us 
use it in talking to him. 

When Jesus was upon the earth, he felt the need 
of prayer. He was truly the Son of God ; but he had 
taken upon himself our human nature, and had 
human wants. He could suffer pain and hunger, as 
we do. It is said of him that he was a “ man of sor¬ 
rows, and acquainted with grief.” 

This does not mean that our Lord was not cheer¬ 
ful, but that he could be touched with sorrow and 
grief, and knows how to pity us when we suffer in the 
same way. Yes, Jesus, our Master, prayed. He 
sometimes stayed away alone all night, thinking and 
praying,— talking to his Father in heaven. 

And if he needed to pray, how much more do we. 

$ 

We, who are so poor and needy,— who cannot put 
away our own sins, or make ourselves any better, 
without help from above. Jesus is waiting to hear us, 
and to present our prayers at the great white throne in 
heaven. He says : — 

“ Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any 
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in 
to him, and will sup with him, and he with me,” 

9 



[ r 3 ° J 


JksUvS Riding Into Jerusalem 





















Jesus Riding into Jerusalem. 


Text. — “Hosanna to the Son of David : Blessed is he that cometh in 
the name of the L,ord.” Matthew 21:9. 

Over the Mount of Olives, and about three miles 
from Jerusalem, was the little town of Bethany. Here 
was the home of Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha 
and Mary. It was a quiet place, and Jesus liked to 
stop there sometimes for a little rest. 

Jesus loved this family, and they all loved him. 
He had done much for them, and they felt that they 
could not do enough in return. At one time Lazarus 
had been very sick. The sisters sent for Jesus to 
come and heal him ; but when Jesus reached the place, 
Lazarus had been dead four days. 

Mary and Martha mourned much, that he had 
not come sooner. But Jesus asked them to take 
him to the tomb where Lazarus was buried. When 
they came to the place, Jesus cried, “ Lazarus, come 
forth,” and he came out, bound in his grave-clothes. 

Not long after this, Jesus came to Bethany again, 
and stayed there over the Sabbath. Now while Jesus 
was eating in the house of Simon, Mary came and 
anointed his feet with some very costly ointment. 
When some found fault with her for wasting anything 
so precious, Jesus told them to let her alone ; she was- 
anointing him for his burial. 

This was only six days before the passover; and 

L3 1 ] 




132 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


at that passover Jesus was to be put to death. Now 
when the people who had come up to Jerusalem to the 
passover heard that Jesus was at Bethany, many came 
out to see him, and to see Lazarus also, because Jesus 
had raised him from the dead. 

The next day, Sunday, when Jesus went to Jeru¬ 
salem, a great company of people went with him. 
Many people from Jerusalem also came out to meet 
him, when they saw the procession moving along the 
side of the Mount of Olives, over against the city. 

The procession attracted much attention; for 
Jesus was riding on a colt, and the people were throw¬ 
ing palm branches, and even their garments, in the 
road before him, and crying, “ Blessed is the king of 
Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” 

Jesus had never before allowed the people to treat 
him as a king. He had always said, “ My kingdom is 
not of this world.” He had come to the earth to save 
sinners ; and not be a king in Jerusalem. 

Before he came to the earth, he was a king in 
heaven ; that was so much better than being king on 
the earth. He would never have left his glorious 
kingdom above to come here and reign as earthly 
kings reign. His kingdom is in the hearts of men, 
and for them he was willing to give his life. 

But Jesus did not intend to exalt himself. After 
looking at the beautiful buildings of the temple, and 
talking about them to his disciples, he went quietly 
back to Bethany to spend the night. 



Thr Crucifixion. 

“ And I, if I be lifted up frpm the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32. 

r 133 1 



































































































































The Ascension. 


Text.—“A nd when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he 
was taken np ; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts i : 9. 


JESUS had now finished his work as a man here on 
this earth. The devil had tempted him in every way 
in which he can tempt ns ; but Jesns did not commit 
even one little sin. He was as poor as the poorest 
man that ever lived on the earth. And he finally 
suffered and died on the cross. 

This was to teach the poorest, that God will save 
the poor man as well as the rich man, for Christ was 
poor. And when we are tempted in any way, we 

X 

must remember that Christ was tempted in just that 
way, for the Bible says he was tempted in all points, 
just as we are. And if we suffer for doing as God has 
told us to do, we know that Jesns has suffered more 
than we can. We must also remember that Jesus has 
said, “ Lo, I am with you always.” And if we are 
poor, or are tempted, or suffer for Jesus, we can be glad 
to know that Jesus is with us all through onr trouble, 
and is bearing it with us. 

Well, Jesns was having a last talk with his disci¬ 
ples. He told them that when he went away, he would 
send his Holy Spirit to lead and guide them. When 
he had told them this lie was taken up from them into 

heaven. And while they were looking np toward 

[ 135] 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


136 

heaven, where Jesus had gone, two angels came and 
stood beside them, to comfort them for the loss of the 
dear Jesus who had been with them for so long. And 
the angels said to the disciples, “ Ye men of Galilee, 
why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same 
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into 
heaven.” 

This was a blessed promise, and it is as good to 
ns now as it was to them then. The promise was that 
“this same Jesus ” whom they had known and loved 
so long, is to come to this earth again. And those 
who love him when he conies, will see him come just 
as the disciples saw him when he went away, for the 
Bible says so. 

And when he comes the next time he will gather 
together all who have been good on the earth, and then 
he will go back to heaven again and take them with 
him. Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for 
us, so that when it is time for him to come to this 
earth again, to get all who love him, he will have a 
place ready for them. He says, “I go to prepare a 
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; 
that where I am, there ye may be also.” 

We all want a place in that beautiful city that 
Jesus went to prepare, but if we have it, we must love 
and serve him here. If we do, he will say, “Well done, 
good and faithful servant.” 


What Is Sin ? 


Text.—“W hosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for 
sin is the transgression of the law.” i John 3 : 4. 

When our first parents, Adam and Eve, were cre¬ 
ated, they were perfect and without sin. God made 
them pure and upright, for Genesis 1:27 says, “So 
God created man in his own image.” He gave them 
this earth for their home. Psalms 115 : 16. “ And the 
Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and 
there he put the man whom he had formed.” Genesis 
2 : 8. This garden was very beautiful, and was filled 
with fruits and flowers and everything that was good 
for man. 

But God would try man to see if he would obey 
him, and so he planted one tree in the midst of the 
garden, called the tree of “ knowledge of good and 
evil,” and “ commanded the man, saying, Of every 
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the 
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not 
eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt 
surely die.” Genesis 2 : 16, 17. 

God never compels men to obey him. He wants 
us to choose whether we will do right and keep his 
commandments, or whether we will obey Satan and 
refuse to keep his holy law. And so Adam and Eve 
were left perfectly free to obey God, or to eat of the 
forbidden tree and disobey him. The devil soon took 

[ r 37 J 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


138 

advantage of this liberty, and came to that beautiful 
garden to make man disobey God, if he could. He 
did not come in his own form, but turned himself into 
a beautiful being which the Bible calls a serpent. 
He then came to Eve and told her that she might eat 
of the fruit of the tree of “ knowledge of good and 
evil,” for it was good for food, and would make her 
wise. He also told her that she would not die if she 
ate of it, as God had said. So Eve believed Satan, 
and ate of the forbidden fruit, and gave to Adam and 
he also ate of it. This is the way that sin came into 
the world. See Genesis 3 : 1-6. 

The devil is always ready to get us into trouble, 
but he never helps us out. So when he got our first 
parents to disobey God, he left them alone to endure 
the displeasure of God and suffer for their sin. Very 
soon after this the Lord met them and told them what 
the results of their sin would be, and he sent strong 
angels to drive them out of their beautiful Eden 
home. Then began the life of sorrow and labor and 
sin which has been the sad lot of the children of 
Adam ever since. See Genesis 3 : 8-24. 

Sin is the same now that it was in the beginning 
when Satan first tempted man to do wrong. It is the 
disobedience of God’s law, and the penalty is death, 
just as it was with Adam and Eve. God wants us to 
be faithful and obedient here, and get rid of all sin, 
so he can bring us back to that beautiful home which 
our first parents lost through their sin. a He that 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER 


T 39 


overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his 
God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21:7. 
“ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that 
they may have right to the tree of life, and may 
enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 
22 :14. 



Adam and Eve Driven Out of Eden. 



























God’s Law. 


Text.—“D o we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; 
yea, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31. 

God gave liis law to 
the world, there were thun¬ 
ders and lightnings and an 
earthquake. By these won¬ 
ders the Lord would have all 
mankind realize that it was 
an important event. The Is¬ 
raelites were on their way 
from Egypt to the promised 
land of Canaan, which was to be their future home. 
When they came to Mount Sinai, God commanded 
them to wash their clothes so that they might be 
clean, and they spent two days in preparing for the 
great event, for God was coming down on Mount 
Sinai to speak his law to them. 

(In the picture on this page the child Jesus is seen 
pointing to the law of God. He could truly say, “I 
have kept my Father’s commandments.” John 15:10.) 

“And it came to pass on the third day in the 
morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, 
and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of 
the trumpet exceeding loud. . . . And the smoke 
thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the 
whole mount quaked greatly.” Exodus 19:16, 18. 

[140J 












THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


141. 


The Ten Commandments. 

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that 
is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the 
earth ; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve 
them ; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the 
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and 
fourth generation of them that hate me ; and showing mercy 
unto thousands of them that love me and keep my com¬ 
mandments. 

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh 

' his name in vain. 

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 

days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work ; but the seventh 
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God ; in it thou shalt not 
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man¬ 
servant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger 
that is within thy gates ; for in six days the Lord made 

heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 

rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab¬ 
bath day, and hallowed it. 

5. Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days 
may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giv- 
eth thee. 

6. Thou shalt not kill. 

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

8. Thou shalt not steal. 

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbour. 

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor 
his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is 
thy neighbor’s. Exodus 20 : 3 —I 7 - 


142 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


And the Lord gave Moses two tables of stone on 
which he had engraved with his finger the Law oi 
God, or the Ten Commandments, as you have just 
read them. See Exodus 24:12. This is the most 
wonderful law that the world has ever seen. The 
laws of men are full of faults, and need to be changed 
very often ; but this law of God is perfect, and if it 
were obeyed by everybody, there would be no need of 
lawyers and courts and prisons. In James 2 : 8 God’s 
law is called the “ Royal Law; ” and he named it 
well, for it was made by the Royal King of heaven, 
and is perfect; and no laws made by man are 
perfect. 

The laws of God never change, for they are the 
principles of his government. In Malachi 3:6, he 
says, “ I am the Lord, I change note” Christ came 
to earth to “ magnify the law and make it honorable.” 
Isaiah 42:21. Christ did not come to destroy or 
abolish the law, for he says so in Matthew 5:17. 
God’s law is to last forever, for Christ said: “Till 
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle [the 
smallest marks in the Hebrew alphabet] shall in 
no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Mat¬ 
thew 5 : 18. 

Every commandment of God’s law must be kept. 
We are not keeping the commandments if we break 
even one of them, for James says : “ Whosoever shall 
keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is 
guilty of all.” James 2 : 10. 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 143 

In the Bible the law of God is sometimes called 
a covenant, as in the following verse: “ And he de¬ 

clared unto you his covenant which he commanded 
you to perform, even ten commandments; and he 
wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deuteronomy 
4:13. And in Psalms 89 : 34, God says : “ My cove¬ 
nant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone 
out of my lips.” So you see that God’s law is just 
the same now as when he spoke it on Mount Sinai. 
Speaking of the law of God, the Psalmist says: “All 
thy commandments are righteousness.” Psalms 
119 : 172. And the Lord by his prophet says that the 
earth shall grow old like a garment, and the heavens 
shall vanish away like smoke, but “ my righteousness 
shall not be abolished.” Isaiah 51:6. 

God’s law tells us just what he is. The princi¬ 
ples of this law reveal his character. When we keep 
God’s law, we are serving him. The law must live in 
us, and it must be a part of us. Dear reader, study 
this law carefully, for if you would be God’s child, 
you must keep his commandments. Read 1 John 5 : 3. 



9 







Why Was Sin Permitted? 


Text.— “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; 
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12. 

Many persons when they have done wrong, and 
their faults are brought before them, ask the question, 
“ Why does God permit sin ? ” 

God created all the angels, and all the beings 
that are in heaven, and in the other worlds. All were 
pure when God created them. 

I11 the beginning God created all things perfect 
and good. The Bible says, “ And God saw everything 
that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” 
Genesis 1:31. 

God is love, and he delights to have others enjoy 
the good things he has made, But we must love him 
of our own free will, else it is not love. Any other 
service is not pleasing to God. 

Adam and Eve were created just as free to do 
wrong as they were to do right, and this is also true 
of every person born into the world. 

When God and his Son Jesus were talking about 
creating this world, there was a being in heaven who 
grew jealous of Jesus. He thought God ought to 
talk with him about this. 

He was one of the cherubim which God had set as 

a guard over his law, the ten commandments. This 
[144] 




THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 145 

law is very sacred in the sight of God. It tells us 
just what God is. 

And as God is always the same, so will the com¬ 
mandments ever be the same. This being had next 
to the highest place in heaven, and lived in the pres¬ 
ence of God. 

But the Bible says he began to look at himself, 
and so forgot God and all which he had done for him. 
Ezekiel 28 : 13-17. This was the first sin. 

The name of this being was Lucifer. He is also 
called Satan. Isaiah 14 : 12-14. Lucifer said he 
would rule in place of God, and told the angels that 
God did not love them, and cared only for himself. 

This was false, and showed just what was in his 
own heart. It was because Lucifer cared only for 
himself, that he was led to bring such a charge 
against God. 

Many times we show the same spirit. When we 
find fault with others, we may be sure these same 
sins are in us. The angels had never heard any such 
talk before, and so were deceived by Satan. 

But God told them that Satan was wrong, and 
that his evil way would bring death to all who fol¬ 
lowed him. Still, a great many of the angels believed 
Satan. 

Soon after this world was created, and as Satan’s 
rebellion had become fully known, he and his angels 
were cast out of heaven. Then they came to this 
earth and made it their home, 

IQ 


146 THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 

God did not destroy Satan, for lie wanted every 
one to have a chance to see that he was wrong. He 
would make plain to all the universe the real charac- 
, ter of Satan and sin, and so God permitted Satan to 
live and reveal himself. This is why the Lord per¬ 
mitted sin. 

Adam was created the same as other beings. So 
long as he obeyed God’s law, he would be like God. 
But Adam listened to Satan, and so became like him. 
He lost the pure mind that God had given him. 

After Adam had sinned, he could not do any good 
thing of himself. He could not make himself good, 
nor his actions good. He had chosen to follow Satan. 
Satan’s thoughts are evil, so Adam, after he sinned, 
was evil in his ways. 

God still loved Adam, but hated his sins. He 
wanted Adam to turn from Satan’s ways, and serve 
him. He desired him to grow up in a perfect way as 
he intended when he made him. 

God wanted Adam to live forever, but his sins 
would now bring sorrow, misery, and death. . After 
a while, God sent Jesus to this world to show how 
much he loved man. He wanted to make the way of 
life so plain that man might not fail in following it. 

Jesus was born in our flesh. He had the same 
sinful flesh that we have. He lived here among men 
as a man, but he did not consent to sin. He was kept 
by the power of God. The . word of God was in his 
heart. See Psalms 40 : 8. 


THE GOSPEL PRIMERo 


147 


God was in Christ, and so Jesus was God with us. 
By having God’s word in us, we will be kept from sin. 
The psalmist says, “ Thy word have I hid in mine 
heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 
119:11. 

This word has power to keep us. If we take this 
word into our hearts, as Jesus did, God will live in ns, 
and through us reveal himself to the world. As 
Jesus lived in our flesh without sin, so we may live 
without sin, if .Jesus is living in us. 

We can see before us the way of sin and death. 
We can also see the way of love and life. We have 
the choice between the two. All have the same op¬ 
portunity to gain a home in heaven. It is left 
with us. 

If we love God better than ourselves, we will 
look to him. When we turn to God, he always hears 
us an,d forgives us. If we love our own ways, we will 
turn from God and seek the pleasures of this world. 

There are but two ways. One is God’s way, and 
the other is Satan’s way. Let us believe God and live 
for him. In this way we show to others that God is 
love, and that he loves us. He will save us if we will 
let him. 




“God so Loved the World that he Gave his Oney Begotten 
Son, that Whosoever Beeieveth in Him Shoued not Perish, but 
have Evereasting Life.” 

[! 4 8 ] 









































Christ the Remedy. 


Text.— “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ” Romans 5 : 8. 

God made this world to be the happy home of the 
beings he had created. Through Satan’s deception, 
sin came into the world, and death by sin. In this 

way man was brought under Satan’s power, but God 

would not have him held there forever. 

To save us from such a fate, the Son of God 

left his home of glory in heaven, and came to this 

world to die. He takes our sins upon himself, and 
makes it possible for us to be saved. 

Sin leads to death both here and hereafter. Jesus 
takes our sins, and dies for them in our place. Then 
God forgives us for his Sou’s sake, and we shall be 
raised from the dead to live a life of love and joy 
forever. 

God loves this world. It is the work of his hand. 
He loves us, and has done everything that could be 
done to save us. 

u For God so loved the world, that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 

3 • l6 - 

Christ came to earth as a man, and lived a sinless 
life ; in this, he showed us how we ought to live. 

[ *49 ] 




V 


150 THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 

Then lie shed his blood on the cross, that we might be 
forgiven, and be raised from the dead. 

We may all come to God, and be forgiven. “If 
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous¬ 
ness.” 1 John 1 : 9. 

Let us come to Jesus with all our sins and cares 
and burdens; for he has promised to take them all 
and bear them for ns. Here are his words : “ Come 
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest.” Matthew 11 : 28. 

And the psalmist says, “ Cast thy burden upon 
the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” Psalms 55 : 22. 
Jesus is our example in all things. He trusted wholly 
iu God for help to do his Father’s will, and spent 
whole nights in prayer, that he might have strength 
for the work he had to do. 

Satan tempted Jesus as he tempts us; for he 
“ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without 
sin.” Hebrews 4:15. Just think of this ! There is 
110 temptation that it is possible for us to meet, but 
Christ passed through a greater. 

But by God’s help he was always able to resist 
the temptation, and not sin. We can have the same 
power to keep us, if we seek for it as earnestly as 
Christ did. 

He was born in a manger. His parents were 
poor, and he helped support the family by working 
with Joseph, who was a carpenter. When he began 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


I 5 I 

his ministry, he had no home; for he said, “ The 
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; 
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” 
Matthew 8 : 20. 

Yes, Jesus has gone over the road before ns, and 
when trials and temptations arise, let ns remember 
that onr Saviour has passed through the same experi¬ 
ence, and has promised to be with us “ alway, even 
unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28 : 20. 

But if we would be forgiven, we must be truly 
and deeply sorry for our sins. We must be willing to 
own that we are sinners, and must do all we can to 
make right the wrongs we have done. If we ask him, 
God will help us to know what to do. 

But we must ask God to give us a new heart. If 
we do not get rid of the selfish spirit that is in us by 
nature, we shall go on committing new sins. David 
prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and 
renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51 : 10. 

But it is a part of our Saviour’s work to give-* us 
of his own sweet spirit, that as he is, so may we be. 
So Jesus is all in all to us. 

It is in love that God gives us his law, to tell us 
how to live. It tells us what is right and what is 
wrong ; but it cannot forgive us for breaking it. The 
law condemns. Grace and pardon come through 
Jesus Christ. Glory and honor be to his name for¬ 


evermore. 



f 152 1 A Little Child Shall Lead Them. 




















































A Little Child Shall Lead Them. 


Text. — “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall 
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling 
together ; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah n : 6. 

Wen God made this world, it was very beautiful. 
It did not have the rough mountains, and barren 
deserts, and swamps full of disease. No, it was all 
perfect, for God said it was a very good.” Everything 
that grew out of the ground was good, and there were 
no thistles, nor briars, nor weeds. The beasts and 
birds were not as they are now. The great lions and 
tigers were gentle and kind, like the kittens and dogs 
you love to play with. 

But when man sinned and became wicked, God 
could not bless the earth any more, but made the 
thistles grow where the roses had grown before, and 
briars came up in the place of the beautiful vines. 
And then the flood came, and great earthquakes, which 
tore up the beautiful earth, and made the rough mount¬ 
ains. All these things were to show to men how bad 
sin is, and that it made them worse, and the earth 
which was made for them. 

The animals, too, were changed. Before sin came 
they loved man, and were glad to obey him. But 
when Adam sinned and did .not obey God, then the 
animals ceased to love and obey him. They were 
changed, and have become fierce and wild, and the 

f T 53 ] 




x 54 


THE GOSPEL PRIMER. 


strong animals will kill the weak ones, and even man 
is not safe where they are. So this earth is not good 
and beautiful as it was when God made it, and man is 
not good and happy and well, but is wicked and sad. 

But this will not be so always. God has promised 
that he will make this earth all over new, and it will 
be good and beautiful again, as it was before Adam 
sinned. The wicked people.will be burned up, and 
then those who have loved the dear Saviour, and whose 
sins have all been forgiven, will come back to the 
earth to live. And then everything will be good and 
happy again, as it was when the earth was first made. 

And Jesus is making a wonderful city in heaven, 
and in it he is making beautiful homes for ns. Jesus 

i • 

has told ns about these homes in John 14:2, 3. This 
beautiful city is called the New Jerusalem, and Jesus 
will bring it down from heaven to the new earth, and 
it will be our home forever. How large do you think 
this city will be ? If you will read the twenty-first 
chapter of Revelation, you will learn all about it, and 
how it will come down from heaven to the earth. And 
you will find that the city is one thousand, five hun¬ 
dred miles around it. There is no city in the world 
so large as this one. 

And then all will be peace and happiness every¬ 
where ; and the animals will love and obey man, and 
the little child will play with the lions and savage 
tigers, and all will be joyful together, as 37011 see in 
the picture. 


Tfie GOSPEL PRIMER. 


iSHmimmmmmtroi 

| GREETING. 1 

swuiumuuiuuuuii? 

17 5,000 


Our thanks are 
duo to the 
Public for the 


kind reception 
given our 
former editions 


COPIES HAVING BEEN SOLD 
IN TWENTY MONTHS. 


Attention is now called to the Special Attractions of this 

New and Improved Edition. 


RETAINING ORIGINAL EXCELLENCIES, THE WORK HAS BEEN 

REVISED, REWRITTEN, ENLARGED BY 

THIRTY-TWO PAGES OF NEW MATTER, AND 

BEAUTIFIED BY NEW ILLUSTRATIONS. 


believe the book will be welcomed by the entire family circle, and that 
it will be as pleasing- as we know it to be profitable. Appropriate matter 
fills the book throughout,—matter that will instruct while it delights. 
A text of Scripture is made the basis of every chapter, and the chapter is 
in keeping with the text. 

UNIVERSAL LOVE is presented as the motive to obedience, and as the basis of God’s 
dealings with men. Salvation through our Redeemei is presented so simply, that every 
Christian will joyfully welcome this feature of the book. 

IT EDUCATES BOTH MIND AND MORALS. 


The Word-Method affords unusual facilities for teaching chil¬ 
dren to read, while it fills their minds with beautiful thoughts of 
God and goodness. 

The book treats of each subject in such a way as to suggest thoughts not expressed, 
thus prompting to further study. Every chapter gives an outline which the parent or 
teacher can readily fill out. Withal, we have tried to give choice matter, generously 
illustrated, printed in clear type on good paper, well bound, and at a price so low 
that ALL HAY BUY. _ 

( ENGLISH CLOTH, embossed cover, lemon edges, 50 cts. 
PRICES : < HEAVY BOARD, with handsome design in colors, 35 cts. 

( TAG BOARD with cover in four colors, - 25 cts. 

SPECIAL TERMS TO AGENTS. 

INTERNATIONAL TRACT SOCIETY, Publishers, 












CHOICE KElilGIOUS BOOKS. 


Any Publication in the following List will be sent post¬ 
paid to any address in the United 
States and Canada* 


SEE DIRECTIONS ON LAST PAGE. 



.CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR.. 

^ N this little book is given in simple and direct language the life of our Saviour 
from his birth to his death, resurrection, and ascension. By Mrs E G. White, 
author of “Steps to Christ,” “Mount of Blessing,” etc. It is printed in large, clear 
type, and is profusely and aptly illustrated by engravings made especially for this 
book. The directness and simplicity of the story of Christ our Saviour gives to the 
book a special charm, and the interest deepens as the reader progresses with the 
story that is so old, and yet is ever new. 160 large octavo pages, substantially 
bound in the following styles: fine cloth binding, handsomely embossed, 85 cents; 
cloth back, board covers, printed in colors, 60 cents ; heavy tagboard covers, printed 
in colors, 35 cents. 


.GREAT CONTROVERSY. 

♦A5ETWEEN CHEIST AND SATAN during the Christian Dispensation. A com- 
panion volume to “Patriarchs and Prophets.” By Mrs. E. G. White, author of 
“The Life of Christ,” “Sketches from the Life of Paul,” “Bible Sanctification,” 
and other excellent works. This volume presents the most wonderful and intensely 
interesting history that has ever been written of the great conflict between Chris¬ 
tianity and the powers of darkness, as illustrated in the lives of Christian martyrs 
and reformers on the one hand, and wicked men and persecuting powers on the 
other. Beginning with our Lord’s great prophecy given while viewing Jerusalem 
from the Mount of Olives, this book outlines the history of the whole dispensation 
down to the time when “sin and sinners are no more ; God’s entire universe is 
clean; and the great controversy is forever ended.” Fourteenth edition, over 700 
pages, and 26 illustrations. The work is handsomely printed and bound. Furnished 
in five styles, varying in price from $2.25 to $4.50. 

.HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING.. 

N exposition of Matthew Twenty-four. The book contains 96 pages, with twenty 
^ full-page illustrations. The work takes up Christ’s great prophecy of his own 
second coming, and the signs of the times are clearly pointed out in their relation 
to that greatest event. Issued also in German, Danish, and Swedish. Bound in 
boards, with cover design in colors, 25 cents ; bound in fine English cloth, embossed 
covers, lemon edges, 40 cents. 

.HERE AND HEREAFTER,. 

MAN’S NATURE AND DESTINY, The State of the Dead, the Reward of the 
^ Righteous, and the End of the Wicked. By U. Smith. A thorough canvass of 
the great question of a future existence, and the nature of man in the present life. 
Every text in the Bible which has any possible bearing upon these points, is taken 
up and carefully explained, thus giving the most comprehensive view of the sub¬ 
ject that has yet been presented. The work contains 444 pages. Price $1.00. 

















• PROPHETIC LIGHTS. 

7 TREATS of some of the leading prophecies both of the Old and New Testaments, 
showing the exact fulfillment of the predictions of the Bible concerning 
Egypt, Tyre, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, also of the prophecies 
concerning the first advent of Christ, which prove the inspiration oi the Bible, and 
give assurance that other prophecies which are noted will as surely and exactly be 
fulfilled. Nearly all the illustrations of this book were designed and engraved es¬ 
pecially for this work, at great expense, and are a study in themselves. The book 
contains nearly 200 large octavo pages, and is printed on an extra quality of heavy 
calendered paper. It is bound in fine English cloth, with beautiful symbolical side 
stamp in brown and gold, and has gilt edges. Price, $1.00. 


“THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE; 


/fl>R, CIVIL GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION.” By Alonzo T. Jones, author of 
^ “Two Republics,” “The National Sunday Law.” etc. Suggestive, thought- 
stimulating, comprehensive. This excellent work deals in a practical manner with 
almost every phase of this question which is daily growing in interest and impor¬ 
tance, and upon which every American citizen should be thoroughly informed. 

Part one, consisting of the first three chapters, treats of the relations of civil 
government and religion, and discusses the subject from a Biblical and a historical 
standpoint. Part two contains twelve chapters, discussing the questions: How the 
United States became a nation, Who made the nation ? The people’s right of appeal, 
Religious right in the United States, The Sunday-law movement in the fourth 
century and its parallel in the nineteenth, and many others of a similarly practical 
and interesting nature. Part three contains the Declaration of Independence, the 
Constitution of the United States, the Dred Scott decision, and the Brewer decision. 

A number of well-selected illustrations adds to the interest of the reading-matter, 
of which there are 378 pages, and the book is written in the manly, vigorous style 
which is characteristic of the author. For utmost brevity, consistent with clear, 
comprehensive treatment, it surpasses all others on this subject. 

The present is a peculiar and critical period ; stirring events are happening 
about us. “ The Rights of the People” is a book containing facts and principles 
with which every lover of true liberty should be familiar. It is characterized by 
lofty thought, clear, exegetical reasoning, and earnest action. It is emphatically 
a book for the times. Bound in strong paper covers, 40 cents ; in cloth, on laid 
paper, $1.00. 

. FATHERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 


B Y E. J. WAGGONER, shows the condition of the heathen world at the time 
of Christ, briefly states the principles of ancient heathen philosophy, and 
shows how the adoption of these principles by prominent men in the church, and 
the incautious lowering of the standard of pure Christianity, developed the pa¬ 
pacy, which was simply a new phase of paganism. It shows that by the time of 
Constantine, every phase of the papacy was fully developed, and was only wait¬ 
ing for supreme power. The chapter on Sun-worship and Sunday is alone worth 
the price of the book. Fine English cloth, substantially bound, about 400 
pages, $1.00. 


FROM EDEN TO EDEN. 


7 THIS book is a most interesting study of the more important historic and pro- 
Vi' phetic portions of the Scriptures. The author traces the world in its career 
from the time when “ God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very 
good,” on through the period while “the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants 
thereof,” to the future glorious time when Christ says to his followers, “Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” From Eden to Eden 
is printed from new electrotype plates, on heavy calendered paper made especially 
for this book, and contains 264 pages. It is illustrated with numerous full-page 
engravings, and furnished in two very attractive styles of binding, at the following 
prices: Dark blue English cloth, beautiful emblematical design in gold, silver, and 
jet, with gold edges, $1.50 ; brown English cloth, plain stamp, embossed in jet ancl 
gold, marbled edges, $1.00. 









TR7SCTS HND PHMPHLETS 


.... BIBLE SANCTIFICATION. ... 

•ffiY MRS. E. G. WHITE. This is a pamphlet of eighty-four pages, with eleven 
chapters. It sets forth the Bible doctrine on this subject in contrast with the 
false theories which are so prevalent, and should be read and circulated every¬ 
where. Price, 10 cents. 

.... THE SAINTS’ INHERITANCE. 


W PAMPHLET of eighty-two pages, by J. N. Loughborough. It presents the 
^ precious promises of God’s word to his people in regard to the future home 
of the saved, and God’s purpose concerning our earth. This is an excellent work. 
It inspires hope and courage in the hearts of Christian pilgrims. Price, 10 cents. 

....THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. 

♦«5Y MRS. E. G. WHITE. This tract portrays with great vividness the scenes in 
Gethsemane and at Calvary during the last hours of the earth life of the 
world’s Redeemer. Its perusal ought to stir the hardest heart to godly sorrow 
and contrition. This is an excellent tract for the prejudiced and the unconverted. 
Price, 4 cents. 

... THE SANCTUARY AND THE JUDGMENT. 


*«5Y J. N. ANDREWS. This gives a brief but clear and candid exposition of the 
subject of the sanctuary and its relation to the judgment. It shows where 
the 2300 days of Dan. 8 : 14 began and ended, and the present position and work 
of our great High-priest, also the solemn time in which we are now living. Price, 
2 cents. 

... THE SECOND ADVENT. 


18 


>Y JAMES WHITE. This tract shows the manner, object, and nearness of 
Christ’s coming. It is a clear and forcible presentation of the Bible argu¬ 
ment on this solemn and important subject. Price, 4 cents. 


.... CAN WE KNOW ? .... 

TRACT of 8 pages which proves most conclusively that the numerous predic- 
^ tions concerning the signs of the times and the second advent may be under¬ 
stood. Price, 1 cent. 

... IS HAN IMMORTAL?.... 



HIS tract presents in a brief and concise manner the Bible doctrine of immor¬ 
tality by means of plain questions and Scripture answers. Price, 1 cent. 


.. THE FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

Y E. J. WAGGONER. This illustrates in a simple and forcible manner the 
groundwork of faith, and shows how reasonable it is. Price, 2 cents. 

... THE OLD TESTAflENT IN THE NEW DISPENSATION. 


♦«5Y W. N. GLENN. This tract covers an important field. It shows how Christ 
and his apostles regarded the Old Testament, and the use they made of it in 
their labors. It should be placed in the hands of those who think the Old Testa¬ 
ment is not for Christians. Price, 3 cents. 


ANGELS: THEIR NATURE AND MINISTRY. 


♦jOE VISED by J. H. Waggoner. This is a pamphlet of 140 pages. Part two con- 
siders, in the light of the Scriptures, the origin, history, and destiny of Satan. 
This is an important work of thrilling interest. Price, 20 cents, 







THE WAY TO CHRIST. 



MRS. E. G. WHITE. This contains precious instruction for those who are 
seeking the way of life. Price, 2 cents. 


.... WAY/TARKS TO THE HOLY CITY. A STUDY OF DANIEL 7. ... 

"^HIS is an excellent tract to awaken an interest in the prophecies of the Bible. 

It contains a brief but clear exposition of that remarkable prophecy, which 
will be more and more thrilling in interest as we near the consummation which 
it predicts. The symbols are illustrated. Price, 2 cents. 


....THE TE 1 TPORAL ITILLENNIUM. 

■^^HIS gives a candid exposition of those passages of Scripture which are sup- 
^ posed to teach the conversion of the world. It also presents briefly the Bible 
doctrine of the millennium. Price, 3 cents. 


.... CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. .... 


•fftY E. J. WAGGONER. This excellent pamphlet presents in a clear and forcible 
manner the great doctrine of righteousness by faith, and ought to be exten¬ 
sively circulated. Price, 15 cents. 


... CHRIST AND THE SABBATH 


by 


Y W. W. PRESCOTT. A study of the spiritual nature of the Sabbath and 
what Sabbath-keeping really is, showing the impossibility of its enforcement 
civil law. 40 pages. Price, 5 cents. 


.... THE DUTY TO OBEY CIVIL RULERS. 

♦ffcY C. P. BOLLMAN. This little pamphlet is a lucid treatise setting forth the 
duty of all Christians to obey civil rulers, in so far as their requirements do 
not conflict with those of God. It is founded upon the text, “ We ought to obey 
God rather than man.” 16 pages. Price, 2 cents. 

....THE NEW TESTAMENT SABBATH. 

sn LIVELY, interesting tract, showing the example of our Lord and his disciples, 
^ and the whole teaching of the New Testament, in regard to the Christian Sab¬ 
bath. Written in clear, simple language ; LIBERALLY ILLUSTRATED WITH 
ORIGINAL CUTS, printed in large, clear type ; adapted to meet the wants of every 
one interested in the subject. 16 pages. Price, 2 cents. 


THE LiniTS OF CIVIL AUTHORITY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF NATURAL 

RIGHT AND DIVINE OBLIGATION. 

TTHIS tract shows that governments should protect individuals in the enjoy- 
ment of their rights, but should have no authority whatever outside of these 
limits. God is the great moral Ruler; States, the only authority in civil affairs. 
12 pages. Price, 114 cents. 

.... AMERICA’S CRISIS. 

E TRACT of rare merit, setting forth in simple yet forcible language the posi¬ 
tion occupied by the United States in relation to the people of God, as de¬ 
scribed in the prophetic word. The author shows that the rise of this nation and 
the striking features in its subsequent history, are clearly revealed in the book of 
Revelation under appropriate symbols. 

The persecuting character of this country, as foretold in the Scriptures, is placed 
side by side with some startling facts touching recent developments in that line. 

This tract is a clear, spirited presentation of a subject which should engage 
the attention of every true American. It is rendered doubly attractive by contain¬ 
ing a NUJTBER OF ORIGINAL, FULL=PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, and cannot fail to 
find favor with every one. 32 pages. Price, 4 cents. 





PERIODICALS. 



“AMERICAN SENTINEL.” 

H N eight-page weekly journal devoted to the preservation of the United States 
Constitution as it is, so far as regards religion or religious tests; and the main¬ 
tenance of both civil and religious rights. This is the only journal of the kind 
published. It is full of new and important matter each week relative to the 
progress of the National Reform party, ably discussing both sides of the pro¬ 
posed National Sunday law and religious “ Amendment to the Constitution.” Per 
year, $1.00. Address, “American Sentinel,” 43 Bond St., New York City. 


THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 


fTTHS is a 16-page weekly journal, full of bright, interesting matter that cannot 
^ fail to make it attractive to readers of all classes. 

Among the special departments in which its contents are arranged are the 
following : The Outlook, which deals with developments in religious lines of vital 
interest at the present day. The department of Home and Health has articles 
adapted to all ages, including much practical instruction in the principles of 
healthful living. Mission Fields always contains a rare fund of information in 
regard to the work of the gospel in different parts of the world. The Question 
Corner contains replies to questions as to the meaning of different Bible texts 
difficult to understand. The International Sahhath-school lessons are presented in 
a lucid and practical manner, calculated to be of invaluable service to all stu¬ 
dents. The aim of the editors is to bring out the real pith of the Scripture 
teachings. 

These are only a few of the many things of interest and value that the paper 
brings its readers week by week. For subscriptions or sample copies, address, 
Signs of the Times, Oakland, Cal. Single copy, one year (50 numbers), $1.00. To 
foreign countries in postal union ($1.50), 6s. 


“YOUTHS’ INSTRUCTOR.” 

?jN eight-page illustrated weekly paper for youth and children, devoted to moral 
and mental culture, and especially designed as a companion to Bible study. 
It is the best paper in the world for children and youth, being free from modern 
fables and sentimentalism. Single copy, per year, $1.00; 10 or more to one address, 
per year, 75 cents. Address, “Youths’ Instructor,” Battle Creek, Mich. 

“ OUR LITTLE FRIEND.” 


*£IN eight-page illustrated weekly paper devoted to the best moral literature for 
^ children. Single copies, per year, 50 cents; 5 to 10 copies to one address, each, 
45 cents; 10 or more, each, 40 cents. Address, “Our Little Friend,” Oakland, Cal. 


PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL TRACT SOCIETY, 


ADDRESS ORDERS ALSO TO_ 

PACIFIC PRESS, OAKLAND, cal.; 

18 W. 5th ST., KANSAS CITY, MO.; 

43 BOND ST., NEW YORK, N. Y. 

Review & herald Pub. Co., battle creek, mich.; 

ATLANTA, GA. 


BATTLE CREEK, MICH.; 
TORONTO, ONT.; 
LONDON, ENG. 







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































